Secrets
by Banis Foera
Summary: The brave confessions of three of Kimihito Kurusu's houseguests will begin to form the ultimate love triangle. Will Kimihito be able to balance the hearts and desires his houseguests ask of him, or will all these feelings and confessions become too big to keep secret. (This will be a "pick as you go" type of fanfic revolving around the top 3 favorite girls, stay tuned for more!)
1. Chapter 1

Secret

The sun rose on a quiet morning in early spring, the sight of a house in the middle of a rural area that didn't quite belong with the rest dominated the landscape all across the city. While the location of the house wasn't unusual, it was the size comparable to the surrounding homes that made it stick out of place. The house, which was once a smaller two story home of a family of three was now nearly double in size. The two and a half story house had undergone some renovations over the past three months, which saw the inclusion of a half story floor added to the top floor, at least 5 more bedrooms, along with almost every hallway becoming nearly triple the size. All the neighbors that pasted the house took note that it was constantly receiving upgrades to every area of the house.

Most passersby would simply attribute the renovations to the idea of an expanding family that was well off enough to afford lavish housing in the middle of a neighborhood. Those who knew the family, or at least the spouses, knew that the family was not so well off that they could afford this much home improvement, and the ones who knew the son that was staying in the house while his parents were away on extended business trips suspected that the son was throwing wild parties that required constant repair work, which would explain the noise and shouting that occurred on a near daily basis. Yet those with suspicions just kept walking past, knowing that Kimihito Kurusu was, at heart, a good willed young man who was maybe enjoying his time free of parental guidance a little too much, but not enough to interfere.

Kimhito cracked two more eggs into the massive skillet of his equally massive kitchen. He had grown accustomed to setting up large meals with multiple dishes, plenty of sides, and enough so that there were leftovers to feed a small army and then some. But he rarely had any leftovers, since he was essentially feeding a small army, and with that came much higher food bills than he had ever needed on his own, along with a regular practice of cooking exotic, (although sometimes questionable) foods for his house guests.

He had easily figured out his first guest, Miia, after a quick skim on cooking needs for her and her species Lamias. Eggs and protein, she was simple to cook for. Once Papi showed up he had to balance even more meat for her, some of it cooked very lightly so it was questionable to whether he had cooked it at all, but the harpy didn't seem to complain. When Cerea came along he began to stock on greens of all kinds, and figuring out how to make a breakfast salad, but the centaur had offered him some pointers on how. With Mero, he always felt bad cooking up any sort of fish dish for her, but even with her being a mermaid she never seemed to mind. Suu would normally just eat whatever Papi ate, so he just made her portions doubled, but the slime girl always came along to take care of some of the disposable items like egg shells and vegetable cuttings for him. Rachnee always as mildly more exotic, but basically cooked meat sated the hunger for food in the arachnid, though always preferred 'a little Honey' instead, as she would say offhandedly after complimenting his cooking.

Once the final eggs had finished cooking, he set the large table for his guests and made himself some coffee to await their eventual emergence from their rooms and to sit down for breakfast before beginning their day. By the time he the timer had finished and he was pouring his first cup he heard a door shut quietly and someone coming down the stairs. Since Mero, Cerea and Papi all hard their rooms on the first floor, it was either Rachnee, Suu or Miia. Turning around to the stairs he spotted the red headed Lamia slither down the stairs rubbing one of her eyes, she spotted the table adorned with all the breakfasts foods that the girls ate and wide eyed a little, glancing over at Kurusu.

"Darling! I told you to let me make breakfast this morning, I wanted more practice at cracking eggs."

"I know Miia, but I was already up and figured I get a head start on breakfast this morning. I just didn't want to wake you up." This was mostly true, but Kimhito also knew if he were to enter the bedroom of the sleeping Lamia he may get pulled into her grasp and used as a heat blanket instead. Then it would take Cerea or Rachnee to get them out of bed, beside the scandal it may cause. She had a flash of light pass through her eyes, and her expression softened, looking onto Kimihito sensually.

"But Darling…how else will I get to be the best wife for you?"

She glided over to him by the sink where he was starting to wash off the skillet he used to cook the eggs, wrapping her arms around his chest and nuzzling into the crook of his neck. She pressed her nearly her entire front against his back, causing him to go a little stiff all over and drop the skillet in the sink at the feel of Miia's breasts pressed him with only a few pieces of clothes separating their bare skin from each other.

"Darling, you do want me to be a good wife for you right? All I want is a happy life with my Darling Kurusu." Her hands began to traverse the plains of his chest, slowly bringing them down the small ripples of his abs, ghosting closer to the lining of his pants. "I'll always bring you a breakfast in bed Darling…every meal if you wanted it. We could do almost everything in bed, _Kurusu_ …" Miia then flicked her tongue against the back of his ear, as if she was tasting him. It was a feeling Kimihito had never felt in his life, causing him to go limp in the legs and squirm under Miia's ear licking.

He felt her tail loosely coil around his legs, her hands still roaming his entire torso now, eagerly clawing at his shirt. He pushed any feeling of numbness out of his mind and commanded his body to obey him again. Once again he found feeling returning to his legs and managed to wiggle around so that they were face to face. He looked into the eyes of his Lamia guest, attempting to tell her to stop before someone came downstairs. Kimihito had just started to open his mouth for his plea when Miia started to move forward towards his face. Instead of getting any word out, Miia placed her forehead against his, slowing humming with her eyes nearly closed, her lips curling up into a smile. Miia then slipped her hands down his shoulders, past his arms and grazing over his wrists, then flowing all the way to his hands. She then locked his hands behind his back with her own, fingers intertwined with her in a strong but gentle hold. Miia put her head back in the crook of his neck, lightly kissing and licking the exposed flesh of his neck.

"Darling could have anything he wanted…even me Darling. _Especially me…_ " she licked circles up his neck, stopping to trace the outline of his jaw.

 _What is she doing all this for? When did she even learn this sort of thing? It can't be her mother gave her advice on seducing a man…who knows what the process is for a Lamia who doesn't have to share her mate with anyone. Miia's whole approach to love and relationships may have changed entirely._

Kimihito's mind was racing with all sorts of questions that immediately left him once Miia started landing butterfly kisses all along his cheek, stopping just before she got to the corner of his mouth, then pulling her head and chest back from him to give each of them an ample view of the other.

"All I ever wanted was a man like you to love me Darling…You want to protect me, you care for me in the smallest ways that touch my heart. But more importantly, you see me as an equal, as a real girl. Now I just want you to see me as a real woman, a woman that only wants to belong to you. And I want to have you all to myself…and now that Mama said I didn't have to make you into a communal husband, I won't to lose you to anyone."

She looked Kurusu in the eye, cocking her head and giving him a gentle smile, her face carrying a tinge of blush as she spoke. For Kimihito, his mind was blank and every thought of resistance had fled, instead he was genuinely touched that she felt so strongly about him. He had never seen Miia be this aggressive, and this forward about her desires. A few times in the past he found himself wanting to give into her advances, but this all held a new meaning together. His mind was in the clouds, riding high on what Miia was confessing to him, her breath on his lips being the only thing that grounded him into this moment.

"All you have to do is say so Darling…" She trailed off as she grazed Kimihito's lips. All thoughts vanished as she softly pressed herself fully against him. She released her lock on his hands, moving them around his back holding him in a light hug. She gingerly flicked her tongue against his lips in between her kisses, slowly parting them and flicking against his own tongue. Kimhito found his arms numbly encircling his Lamia guest, one hand positioned at her lower back, the other ran through her red locks. He lost control over his body and began responding to Miia's advances, still mentally checked out while his body seemed to be moving without him.

For Miia to feel him slowly reciprocating got her heart rate to triple. Her mother was right, she just needed to be a little more forward and he wouldn't resist her anymore. She decided to gamble and wrap herself a little tighter around his legs, allowing his midsection to remain exposed. Careful to do as her mother instructed, she ground her lower half against his crotch in slow, steady thrusts. Kimihito had been enjoying the feeling of Miia's kiss against him, the way her tongue was twisting and moving around his own, but the feeling of Miia's hips pressing themselves against his lower half brought him out of it immediately. He pulled back from Miia's kiss and retracted his arms from around her, moving them to her shoulders and held her at distance from him.

"Miia..." he began, still trying to regain control of his thoughts and most of his body, "we can't do that. You know this isn't the time or place for any sort of..." He was cut off by Miia's new attack on him. She threw his hands off her shoulders and used her tail to wrap around his arms, making any struggle pointless as she used the strength of her tail to lock down any resistance. She looked at him with an almost dreamy look, yet her eyes sharp and carried a hungered look in them.

"Darling…why do you keep fighting this? I can smell the desire coming off you in waves. Your scent is practically intoxicating to me, and you haven't been able to hide it very well. You know you want this just as much as I do. Now that it's legal for liminals to marry humans there shouldn't be anything holding you back. You could be all mine Darling, and I would happily be yours. I promise I will give you everything you never knew you needed, and in return you just give me your love…give me a family…a happy ending with me and my Darling…"

She moved in to make another dive as his lips when several doors opened throughout the house all at once. The sounds of his fellow house guests coming down the halls at the smell of breakfast made him catch his breath in his throat. Cerea's room being only just down the hall, she would be one of the first of his guests to enter the kitchen soon to be followed by Papi and Mero. Kimihito panicked at the idea of being caught in such a dangerous position with Miia this early in the morning, only made worse by the fact that he had partially given in to her seduction.

"Miia you have to let me go, we can't get caught like this!" Kimihito whispered, sounding slightly harsher than he had intended. He squirmed with all his might attempting to get some distance from Miia before someone rounded the corner to see Miia and Kimihito lip-locked in the kitchen.

"Why Darling? Wouldn't be better for them all to see now rather than find out later? That way we can end this game of who will become your wife, when you already know in your heart who you love."

Kimihito looked at Miia a little shockingly; he never thought she would be so forward as to publicly announce any romantic ties they may have in such a manner. _Then again_ , Kimihito thought _, it actually makes complete sense, since Miia is the most possessive member of this house_. "Miia I haven't made a decision and I don't think now is the best time to decide an issue like this!"

Miia saw his many attempts to get away and sighed, her smile fading slightly, uncoiling herself from him and putting some distance from him as she made her way to the fridge. She grabbed a glass on the counter, and had the door open just before anyone made it into the kitchen area. Just as she was pouring herself from orange juice, Cerea, Mero and Papi rounded the corner, all of them in different states of awareness, having been woken by the smell of food Kimihito had prepared for them.

"Good morning Master, tis most kind of you to prepare so much food for us this day!"

"Dear Sir, my heart ached at the sight of the work you prepared for us, so very kind of you."

"Suu is pretty hunger, thanks master!"

They began to take their seats and dig in when Papi and Rachnee also made their way down the stairs and got settled as well.

"Thanks for the grub Husband, Papi was feeling puckish too!"

"Gee Honey, you really outdid yourself this morning, and did Miia help you?"

Just as Kimihito was going to answer, Miia butted in as she moved back to stand next to Kimihito. "No, Darling beat me to the punch today, but tomorrow for sure I'll take care of everything." She turned her head slightly to Kimihito and flashed him a very quick wink. Kimihito realized that Miia wasn't going to give up so easily on seducing him today, and hoped the others weren't so keen as to assume something was going on. Much to his relief, everyone else simply shrugged off the interaction as Miia being Miia, or didn't think enough of it to explore inquiry, and went back to eating. Kimihito simply stood there, a little lost for words, as Miia returned to her drink, draining it, then moved around him to start washing the glass in the sink. Deciding the event would at least be over while everyone was in the room, Kimihito started to move to join everyone at the table. As Kimihito was going to take a step forward, he found his ankle was stuck on something. Kimihito's breathing quickened again when he found Miia's tail wrapped lightly just around the area above his foot, too low for anyone else to notice. He turned back to Miia and swallowed hard. _There's no way she's going to try doing what she just pulled in front of everyone, right?_ Miia looked at him with a knowing smile and nudged her head to the side, urging him to come closer. He leaned in slightly, placing a hand on the counter next to the sink to balance himself. Miia placed her soapy hand on top of his in a flash, interlocking her fingers with his. She kept her head down, and with the clamor at the table about Papi and Suu wanting to go for a walk and everyone else discussing where they would like to go that day, Miia and Kimihito were invisible and unheard to everyone in the room for the moment.

"Darling", Miia whispered in a low, sensual voice, "I won't be so patient for you anymore. I know what you feel even if you don't. So I'm going to show you _exactly_ what you've been missing, and what you can look forward to when we're married. If you really want to know, if you want me to show you what being married to a Lamia is really like, squeeze my hand twice."

Kimihito froze solid again. He could suddenly see everything in the room in front of him at once, the table full of houseguests, every nook and cranny of the room was acutely present in his field of vision. He felt a pressure forming in his chest as he contemplated his choice.

It was true, he had no idea what marriage was to a Lamia, and what it would even be like. Beside what he suspected was an offer for sex, he saw a potential opportunity to actually solidify some idea of what marriage would actually be like with one of these girls. And as much as he didn't want to admit it…he did feel _something_ when Miia was seducing him earlier. Whether it was hormones or emotions he had no idea. But it at least deserved the opportunity to be explored, there was no denying that. He could always refuse Miia sex if she pushed him too far, and he could always cry out for help from one of the guests if she decided to take matters into her own hands. Something still felt dirty for Kimihito to agree to something like this; he felt as though he were cheating on the feelings every other girl in the house had for him. _Then again, it's not as if I've made a decision if I agree to just hear Miia out. That should be innocent enough. I'll just preface before she gets a word in that I'm only looking to talk and nothing more._

Kimihito breathed a little raggedly as he slowly gave Miia's hand two firm, definite squeezes, somewhat enjoying the feeling of her soapy hands in his. Miia, who had been washing her glass while her Darling was thinking, nearly dropped the rag she was using when she felt Kimihito give his signal of confirmation. Her heart stopped for a moment before jumping all the way up to her throat and staying there, but she kept her outwardly appearance cool and collected, just as her mother taught her. She ran her thumb over the knuckles of his fingers in a final loving gesture before turning on the warm faucet water, then drying her hands and moving to join the others at the table. She did her best to show a collectively cool and normal Miia face as she sat down and portioned herself some eggs and began to casually eat. Inside she could have been screaming in delight. Kimihito just stood there, cautiously watching Miia the whole time as the noise from the table once again filled his ears. What had seemed like an eternity had occurred in just a few seconds, and he almost zombie like approached the table, sitting down at the head of the table, with Miia on his left and Suu on his right. As he began to wonder what he had gotten himself into, he eyed Miia once again, who was idly making conversation about a soap opera she wanted to watch with Mero. Only for a second did she look back across the table to Kimihito, but the look she gave him said what he was almost afraid and excited to admit she must have been thinking. Miia was enjoying the very same thought behind the mask she wore at the table in front of everyone else, seeing Kimihito looking at her.

 _I finally have you exactly where I want you Darling, it won't be long now and everything will be the way it should be. Just wait 'til you see what I have in store for you, my Darling Kimihito…_


	2. Chapter 2

Secret Ch. 2

Kimihito walked down one of the many streets of his neighborhood on his way to the local markets. His shopping list in tow, he had left the house in order to get the food that would feed his houseguests for the next three days. He wasn't used to the large shopping trips he was making at first; explaining to grocers that he needed roughly eight dozen eggs, nearly half a cow's weight in meat, three bushels of carrots, spinach and lettuce, plus the assorted snack foods each girl had requested he pick up for them made almost every store manager call their suppliers in a panic. He found most stores couldn't actually handle the amount of food he required, since most were carrying enough to cover the small family shoppers that they were used to serving. Almost at a loss on supplying his guests with adequate meals, he took a suggestion from Agent Smith and visited his local farmers market. He found the nearest one was only a half mile walk away from his home, and the distance was good for him to take some time away from the house and allow him to breath on his own without the various girls popping in and out of his view every few seconds.

He paused mid-step at his own thoughts; he never thought of the girls as problematic, or even bothersome. His steps resumed, but a slowed pace. He welcomed the company they provided, he just wished sometimes that he could have a few more minutes in the day to himself rather than the constant entertainment of the girls. Yet he was always sure to put the needs of his houseguests before his own, one of them was obviously keeping the fridge stocked constantly.

 _And besides, after Miia this morning, I could use the break from the girls to clear my head a bit._

Rounding the corner at the end of the street, Kimihito was greeted with the sight of the large crowds and shop keepers of the local market. Farmers from the surrounding areas had brought their abundance of stock to sell in the city and rural areas, and they always loved to make deals for bulk produce. This helped Kimihito out as well; he was able to cut his food costs in half by buying everything in bulk as he needed.

As he approached the first stand, his thoughts from earlier this morning were still fresh in his mind. As he absentmindedly began to fill up his shopping bags and paying the shopkeepers for their produce, he reflected on how hyper sensual Miia had been with him that morning. IT had only been a few weeks since all the mothers of Miia, Cerea, and Papi had left, but he found that since their departure, each of his houseguests had changed their behavior slightly. Cerea always looked at him with a look of trepidation, as if she was on the cusp of exploding. Rachnee was laying more elaborate traps for him throughout the house and found that each time he figured one out, she would move to another variation, and they were getting more difficult to escape. The fear he now had was waking up suspended from midair to find her ready to play with him like he was a fresh catch of meat, and she a hungry predator. Miia's attitude could be summed up in her actions that morning, and her aggressiveness would surely only grow from there now that she had become so bold. Mero seemed a little more dramatic than usual, and often took everything he did for her as his last kind act, as if she were going to remember him in that moment and never see her again. Suu wasn't really ever aggressive or had a flare for dramatics, but her eyes were always glued to him whenever he entered a room, and never really left. Papi kept trying to take him flying, but he was luckily too heavy for her to take off flying with completely, so they never really got so far. When he had asked Agent Smith about the behavior changes, all she could say was how it wasn't her concern how the girls conducted themselves _sensually_ around him, and only suggested that he keep well stocked on "preventative measures" if he wasn't ready to be a father.

 _Figures coming from Smith, but I was hoping she was going to be able to provide me with some genuine support here. I can't possibly put any girl above the others, I know what that would do to them._ Suddenly the words Miia had whispered to him this morning rang through his head.

 _I know you what you feel, even if you don't…_

The idea that everyone in the house may already believe that he had chosen was a little too presumptuous, but it definitely had its grounds.

 _Each girl could claim they have a unique relationship with me, even though I've stated I care for them all equally in the past. They all are looking for the edge that will put them on top._

He was pulled out of his internal dialogue when a cashier began waving her hand fin front of his face. He blinked a few times and looked around. Kimihito realized he must have been standing blank face in front of the register for several minutes just holding eight dozen cartons of eggs, chicken and beef cutlets, and rice for several minutes. Blushing at his awkwardness, he presented the money for his purchase to a mildly amused cashier, and paid for a delivery service to his home. Picking up his remaining bags, he left the store front and headed to the produce area. Stores lined with fresh cabbage, turnips, peas, and other varieties of vegetables lines the sides of the market area, still busy from the midday sales taking place. Kimihito looked around at the several stands in view, before spotting a stand he had bought his vegetables from before. What he did spot that wasn't usually there was the long, blonde hair that could only belong to his centaur houseguest Cerea. He spotted her talking to the very shopkeeper he was She almost stuck out in the crowd too much; aside from her horse half that took up a little more space in the market streets than the normal person, her height made her easy to spot from the other side of the road. Ignoring the question of why she happened to be at the same market as him when he hadn't mentioned which market he was going to, he made his way over to his centaur housemate.

"Hey Cerea, I didn't expect to see you out of the house on your own."

Cerea froze in place for the slightest moment, before composing herself, ending her conversation with the shopkeeper, and turned to Kimihito, the red in her cheeks fading slightly and a warm smile replacing it.

"Good Day Master, 'tis most unexpected to see you here. I was just examining the shops in this market and this purveyor was gracious enough to tell me the variety of wares."

Kimihito looked behind her to see the large stack of carrots that were put into two baskets behind her. Noticing his look beyond her, Cerea shuffled herself so that her horse half was hiding the baskets from view, the blush from a few moments ago returning. She brought a hand to her mouth and turned her head, hiding embarrassment over buying so many carrots.

"Cerea if you wanted carrots you could have asked me to get them for you. That's my job, to take care of you girls. If you want some carrots I'll get them."

As Kimihito stepped past her to pay the shopkeeper, Cerea grabbed his hands and brought them to her chest, unknowingly shoving them right in between her ample chest. Kimihito and the shopkeeper, who had been happy to pretend he wasn't in the middle of the two, both went indigo in the face at Cerea's brazen move.

"Master! I cannot permit you to do such a thing. These carrots represent my own personal desire, and I do not wish for you to bear the burden of my selfish desires. It would be unfair to place that need on you!"

Kimihito barely registered her words, as he could hardly feel or hear anything except the softness of Cerea's chest pillows swallowed his hands up to the wrists. Noticing the lack of reaction from her Master, and noticing the blush of his face, she looked down to notice where she had placed her hands along with his, and instantly went just as red as Kimihito's face. She released his hands, bringing her own up to her face in attempt to hide her own blush, turned slightly away from him. Kimihito felt the color leave his face and thoughtlessly scratched the back of his head, moving to stand in front of Cerea, who wanted nothing more than to hide her embarrassment. He moved his own hand next to her own, grazing a few fingertips across her face as he took her hand into his own. Any blood that wasn't already in Cerea's cheeks instantly found its way there and she felt his fingers locking into her own.

"Cerea I _want_ to do this for you. It's not selfish to have me get you the things you want. It makes me happy to get you what you need, and I think you deserve to have someone be a knight to you too."

Cerea let out a sigh and smiled a rather goofy but adorable grin, nodding slightly and tearing up slightly. "Well…I would not deny something that would make you happy Master, so if it be your desire to purchase these for me, I cannot deny you happiness."

A sweat drop made its way down the back of Kimihito's head, but decided to just pay the shopkeeper and stop making a scene in front of the crowds. After paying for the carrots, Kimihito moves to stack the carrot baskets and heave them into his arms when Cerea grabs them from him and saddles them across her back. "Master, permit me to at least carry some of the produce you intend to return to the house with. Also…If you would require any assistance with the shopping trip today, it would be my pleasure and duty to aid you as well!"

While it was a little surprising, it wasn't entirely unexpected to Kimihito that Cerea would take the opportunity to spend a little more time with her. Ever since the jousting challenge with her mother, Cerea took a much more open stance to aiding him in even the most mundane tasks. She was even getting better with displays of affection, but not by much, and definitely not in public. They continued shopping for some smaller items on the grocery list, ending with grabbing some popsicles for Suu and Papi, and decided to head home. Once again Cerea offered to take a good amount of the items on her back, carrying a bag to herself and Kimihito holding a bag in each hand. As they began the walk back, Kimihito noticed Cerea was a little more fidgety around him, blurting out how the weather was nice, or how crisp the air smelled to her. It was only once she started to mumble that Kimihito decided to try and pry out of her whatever it was that was on her mind.

"Cerea, you never did tell me how you knew I was going to be in the market today. Or how it was so convenient that we both ended up at the same place at the same time, going to the same vegetable vendor."

He looked over to Cerea, but noticed she had actually stopped walking a few steps back from him. She had her eyes downcast, a troubled brow creased the head of his centaur roommate. She looked up to match his eye line, breathing in before a torrent of words spilled past her lips.

"Master…I want to be honest of my intentions. I chanced by your note earlier this morning of your quest to the market, and…I followed behind you. I know it was dishonorable of me to speak falsely of our meeting, and I am ashamed to say that it was out of fear you would not wish my company during your shopping. Ever since my honorable mother departed from our home, I have felt...I have felt as if I must be more forward with you of mine thoughts. 'Tis most shameful of me, but I feel in my heart that I cannot shy away forever...uh...In my duties to my Master!"

"Cerea, I don't mind spending time with you, and I hope you don't feel that you are somehow a burden to me by wanting to spend time with me. I know having all the girls in the house makes it difficult to find time to do much of anything one on one, but when the moments come up I don't mind if you jump at the opportunity." He walked back to her and grasped her hand, beginning to walk side by side with her, and Cerea was mumbling to herself and blushing profusely and she squeezed his hand and walked a little closer to him. "You don't owe me any duty, and I'm glad you want to be honest about what you want around me, otherwise I wouldn't be doing my job as your provider."

"But Master, 'tis…my duty as your knight to be at the beck and call, such as it is with every centaur and their lord. I know that does not mean that a knight's presence is always wanted…" Kimihito stopped in his tracks, spinning a full 180 to face her head on. Cerea thought for a moment that she was right in thinking that Kimihito did not desire her presence, until he landed both of his hands on her cheeks and brought her head down a little so her vision was filled with her master's face as Kimihito smiled at her.

"Cerea, I appreciate that you want to be my knight, although I don't know what that means exactly. But you aren't just some sort of servant to me. You're special to me, just like everyone else. Please don't be so harsh on yourself, I like having you around and I genuinely enjoy your company. Please allow yourself the right to want the things you want out of life."

The centaurs went wide-eyed, then closed her eyes and nodded, opening them back up with a fiery passion that wasn't there a moment ago. "Yes! Of course you are right Master. A knight has desires just like any other, and I will endeavor to pursue my desires just as strongly as my adherence to my duty!" She grabbed his hand a little roughly than Kimihito was used to, and almost dragged him off his feet as Cerea started the walk home back up again. Kimihito got his footing back, keeping pace with the centaurs, and remembered that she had not technically answered the question the way he had hoped.

"That's good Cerea, but why did you want to spend time with me today, and why alone in a market? We could have tried to plan something a little more fun together than grocery shopping."

"Ah, well I had hopes to discuss a matter of sorts with you, and believed it was best not to delay the matter and risk the other girls hearing of our dialogue."

Kimihito felt as though he was seeing the same events playing out twice in one day. Hoping that it was some other matter, such as her father now deciding to come to visit, he urged her to make her point. "Well, whatever you need to talk to be about I'm all ears."

"You see, Master…I was hoping to discuss my homeland with you. I know since my mother came to visit you must have some questions about how Centaur society functions."

Kimihito should have known this was the direction things were leading, believing the same type of conversation awaited him later tonight with Miia. But knowing that was a little farther off, it didn't seem as bad as to take a look into one cultural way so he would have some backdrop to compare Miia's marriage life to Cerea's.

"Well I was actually hoping I could talk to you about this sometime Cerea. I've been thinking about how Centaur culture works, and I wanted to hear from you about it too."

Cerea started to get ideas as to what Kimihito could have meant by "thinking a lot." _What could be have been thinking about for the life of a centaur for? Could he be alienated at the idea of centaurs in general? Or maybe he just wants to understand because he wants to experience the lifestyle for himself?_ She glanced over from her walking to see he was still looking at her, expecting an answer. _Oh good God Centorea say something!_

"Wh...Well, centaur life doesn't differentiate much from what I'm sure you already know. We are an honor based race, and are raised to keep to the centaur tradition of strength and wisdom. While in the past we have begun to thin in numbers, now we are encouraged to see masters to serve instead of simply staying to keep the species alive. By looking for a master we fulfill our ancient purpose of guiding that individual to greatness. It is has been such since the time of Hercules and Creon, the first instance of a centaur and human forming the bond. Nowadays such a bond is not sought by many, as our numbers have dropped, so in order to refine our strength, we centaur women are encouraged to mate with our male counterparts." The blush on Cerea's face was slowing returning as she continued on, but did not let it impede her speech. "Now that my mother has revealed that I am half human, it shows that strength in the bond of master and servant is just as strong as the bond between two centaurs, which speaks much to the feelings that may develop between the two. Hence why riding a centaur is seen as an honor for centaurs on behalf of their masters and a sign of their eternal bond. Hence the bond of centaur and master is hardly surpassed by any other relation. Why, in some circumstances, the…um…well…the master may often…"

Kimihito watched as Cerea struggled to get the thought out into the air. She looked as if she were about to fall over from fear if she managed to get her words out. "Tell me Cerea, what is the master sometimes does?"

In a small voice, Cerea responded, "Well, the master may often take the centaur servant as a…bride of war."

Now it was Kimihito's turn to stop in his tracts, causing Cerea to feel the pull of his motionless form on her arm. She turned halfway back to him, her eyes searching and confused at his sudden halt.

"Cerea, what…is a 'bride of war', exactly?"

"Well, the bride of war is symbol of the triumphs of her master, a shield-maiden and protector. In this circumstance, the bride of war will often…aid her master in certain…personal affairs, such as he may see fit."

Her blush was full and bright, and she turned her head away from him while holding firm in her grasp of his arm. She remembered his words a moment ago, and decided to risk her heart a little more and push the point home.

"And so, Master, if the desired such, I would become your bride…of war!" She added the final bit, blushing as she let her mind slip for just a moment, to an image of herself in a bridal gown, seeing her beloved Master waiting for her as she strode towards her love…

"So...does that mean 'bride of war' is the equivalent to human marriage, Cerea?"

"Ahh. Well one could say so yes. The process is almost the same, some rite of words are different, but to a Centaur the meaning is universal. Once we are bound to a master, it is as if we are bound by such a bond to...to our lover..."

Kimihito blinked a few times, not quite believing that he was having an almost similar type of talk with two different women in one day. _First Miia, now Cerea…this is getting to be too much. But she's just as honest about her feelings as Miia, or at least it would seem to be the same. Why do these types of decisions and conversations all have to happen at once?_

"Ohhh…well, then what would that mean for us? I know the first time I rode you, it was because I didn't know the law of your culture, but does that mean you and I are...?"

Cerea could hardly stand to have this conversation so boldly, and she couldn't understand where she was finding the strength to approach the subject with the object of her desire. "Ah…I...I would n-never assume such a thing! It is beyond my s-station to assume that I would automatically hh-ave the heart of any man, much more my lord and M-Master." She released his hand again, taking a step forward and covering her face up to hide the blush, slight smile, and tears that now adorned her face.

For Kimihito, he simply stood as he had this morning; dumbstruck that another of his houseguests was being so open about her feelings. It wasn't as though any of this was a huge secret to him, but it was hardly addressed so upfront and definitely before. All Kimihito could do was walk around to face her again, this time just pulling her into a hug. He found he was just tall enough to rest his head underneath her chin, so he wasn't going to suffocate in her chest. Cerea instantly froze; she seemed to imagine that her Master had walked to her and embraced her fully…and holding onto her with such strength and assured protection. She glanced down to see he had done so, the warmth of his chest on her slim belly, the heat from his breath on her bosom, the softness of his hair against her neck. She felt her arms move on their own as she returned the embrace one hand curling around his middle back, the other running through his hair. She nestling her head into the top of his, taking in the scent of his body, memorizing the feeling of her Master holding her so tenderly, tears streaming down her face as happiness consumed her like a fire from the depths of her heart.

They stayed in that position for a few moments, before Kimihito pulled back just enough to look her in the eyes, their faces only an inch apart at best. "Cerea, if you want something, you just have to ask for it. I may not be able to give you everything right away…" She started to look a little downtrodden at this, so Kimihito changed tactics, "But just like every noble quest, everything starts with a small step!" He saw using her language to comfort her had worked, because he was gifted with the most beautiful smile he had ever seen Cerea make before. She held him back to her again, enjoying the embrace for all it was worth. A thought coming to her head, she gave it voice in a small whisper.

"I…I want you to see my homeland… _Kimihito_. I want you to know of my people, of our pride and honor. If you were to take a centaur as a wife…" She pulled back again and pressed a hand against his cheek, "She would want you to see the land that inspired her to seek you out for a master."

Kimihito smiled right back, moving his face unconsciously closer to hers.

"I would love to see where you were born and raised. I want to know the type of people and the kind of place that made you into the person you are, the perfect person I see before me."

With those words Cerea's heart melted. She felt all the air at once leave her body and the feelings for her beloved Master fill every empty space inside her. Losing the last inhibitions in her mind, she leaned into him and closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of his breath mingling with her own. Kimihito realized what was happening and also recognized that his body was doing the same. The moment their lips met it was as though lightning had struck the very spot both of them were standing on. Cerea let out a small whimper as she pushed the back of his head a little more, pushing him into her embrace. Kimihito responded in kind, deepening the kiss. She was a gentle kisser, she was forceful in her approach but gentle in her application, her lips moving and massaging his in gentle rolls. Just as Cerea pulled Kimihito in as close to her body as she could, he got the feeling of what felt like tears falling onto his face. Touched that Cerea would be crying at the same moment he began to feel some tears welling up, he opened his eyes to notice how grey the sky had become since their walk had stopped. The water falling was not of Cerea's doing, but the beginnings of a storm that was rolling in. Breaking off the kiss Cerea felt rain hit the back of her head as well, looking up to see that the rain was on the way, smelling the scent of water in the air around her. She moaned slightly at this turn of bad luck, but felt Kimihito's hand once again interlocking with her own. She smiled as he smiled back and turned to continue the trek home.

"No use being caught in the middle of a storm and us both getting sick. How about we race home?"

Cerea stoop dumbstruck for the first time today. _Surely_ , she thought, _surely he must know that my speed compared to a human would defeat him four times over?_

Noticing her pause, he pulled gently on her hand and spoke, "It was a joke Cerea, and I know there's no shot of beating you in a foot race. I was just suggesting that we pick up the pace a bit."

Realizing that her Master had caught her with a bit of humor, she gripped his hand in hers, laughing a little.

"I see your wit, and it is well noted Master, but you are correct; we should hasten home at once. I will try not to stride too fast; doing so would merely leave you behind and alone in the rain."

Seeing the chance to mess with her once again, he squeezed her hand and let go, taking off in a full dash back up the street and around the corner. "Well you'll have to catch up to enjoy those words!"

Gasping, Cerea couldn't believe her master would be so adamant about racing her. Going from trot to full gallop, she raced behind him for a few short seconds. Catching up with him, she took his hand once again, their laughter mingling together as thunder struck in the distance.

Arriving back at the front door entrance of the house, both Cerea and Kimihito were drenched from head to foot. They both stopped their jog race as they lapped the corner into the home stretch between the beginning of their street and their home. The whole time they laughed and not once did their hands fall away from each other. As they climbed the steps, Kimihito set one bag down reach into his pocket to fumble for his keys, as he felt Cerea squeeze his had again, followed by the pull to spin him around to face her. She was giving him a look that spoke of doubt and confusion, as if Cerea was looking for the proper words to express herself.

"I did not mention before Master, but…with our talk earlier, regarding Centaur marriage culture, I forgot to mention one critical piece of information. Visiting my homeland together…it also carries a special meaning with it as well. When a young Centaur brings her Master and…her beloved with her to her place of birth, it is considered by Centaurs to be as a wedding celebration and nuptial night. There is much reveling in the home of the two, as they are seen as...newlyweds. They are given many gifts, and in some cases provided with a home of their own so they may begin the uh...great journey of life together. I know that it seems sudden to do, but hence is the significance of bringing a master to our home. While I may know of this and...be more than willing, I...well…So while I know that may not be thy desire, if this were to change your thoughts on seeing my homeland I would more than understand!"

Kimihito finally found the keys when the words nuptial hour entered his ears, and past that all sensory areas but his ears seemed to shut down. _Oh dear God it's Miia all over again. Why is this all happening at once? If I commit to Cerea's proposal, I refuse the right to Miia stating hers. If I reject Cerea here and later regret it I'll never forgive myself._ He gave himself a moment to collect the thoughts before speaking up once again.

"Well Cerea, I think the same rules apply from before." Kimihito bent over, picked up his keys, and sliding them into the lock. "I may not be able to commit this very second…but I think with a little time I would be able to give you an answer. So just a few days and I will have your answer, is that agreeable?"

For Cerea, this was all she needed to hear. "Very well Master, if you make the decision, whenever you may be ready, I will make the arrangements to see my homeland…together." She squeezed his hand for the final time before stepping into the house, moving in with him as he closed the door behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

Secrets Ch. 3

Kimihito placed the final dinner place in the cabinet and closed the door, then grab a drying towel off the counter, wiping excess water off his hands. Dinner at the Kurusu residence had just ended, and all of his houseguests except Rachnee, who decided to grab some sleep from getting drunk earlier in the day, had just exited the room and moved to the living room where it sounded as though a round of karaoke had just started. During dinner Kimihito noticed that his fellow houseguests appeared outwardly tame during tonight's meal, but that was only because most of their actions towards him were very under the table. In the cause of Miia, under the table was literally the case.

Once he had sat down and started dishing himself some salad, he felt Miia's tail start to caress his ankle, moving underneath of his pants almost all the way up to his knee. It had taken almost all of his self-control to avoid jumping out of his chair at Miia's touch, and when he glanced over at her once he gained a little more control over himself, her only response was a smile and a wink. She then moved further up his leg until she was at the point where limb connected to torso, inching closer to his crotch, coiling around his leg the entire time. When he reached down in an outward appearance of itching his leg, he placed a hand on her tail from outside his pants, giving her a pleading eye in hopes she would go no further while everyone was at the table. She responded only by mouthing ' _Until later.'_ , and just kept her tail coiled around him, gently squeezing his leg whenever she felt deprived of his attention.

Cerea, on the other hand, was very eager to speak to her master whenever possible. She would tell tale after tale of Centaur and Master pairs throughout history who had met, formed a bond, and gone on heroic adventures together. Sometimes she would even mention some of these pairs falling in love, and would blush and skip the parts where that had a 'happily ever after.' She had the table enthralled with her stories, and even with Miia's distraction he found himself and even Miia listening in on Cerea's tale. Luckily once Mero, Papi and Suu began to get full, they headed off to the living room, being denied help from Kimihito to clean up. He just wanted everyone out of the room so he could calm himself down from Miia's groping and Cerea's more erotic stories.

Now he had his moment alone had come, and all he could think about was how two girls living with him were currently fighting for his affections, even if they didn't know they were competing against each other.

 _Geez…it's one thing to have Miia be as aggressive as she was this morning, but now balancing Cerea is going to be too much. Miia and Cerea seem to be promising the same thing, and both have the same wants as the other, but neither of them are the sharing type. Far from it, Miia herself said she wouldn't allow me to be taken by anyone else, and Cerea is almost just as possessive._ He looked down to the towel in his hands, as if staring through it into the floor rather than at it. _Cerea may even be worse, since she already considers us a married couple, since we share the centaur-master bond. Plus she seems a little more human in her behavior than Miia. I think Cerea sees me more as an equal than Miia, but Miia loves out a carnal nature. Then again, she even confessed that not wanting to share me with anyone stemmed out of deep love, and that I see_ her _as the equal, as a real girl. So maybe her overzealousness towards sleeping with me really comes from her love of me, and her willingness to make me happy. So then it comes down to Miia's feelings and her commitment to proving her love, and Cerea's utter loyalty, devotion, and protection of me. They really could have made things easier for me, but then that would be a fantasy, not real life._

He set the towel back on the counter, rubbing the bridge of his nose with thumb and index finger. All this back and forth was going to get him nowhere. Plus, he owed it to Miia to talk to her and figure out Lamia marriage. So far marriage to a Centaur seemed pretty easy going, but without a comparison he was dead in the water. He glanced up slightly. _I can't believe I'm trying to compare their cultures. To them it's apples and oranges. So the comparison is almost no good. Think genius…it's time you finally figure out how you honestly feel about them._

 _Well I know Miia makes me nervous whenever she makes a move on me, but is that really because I'm afraid of her? I know she would never hurt me on purpose, and I'm not opposed to what she does…_ Kimihito recalled the feelings of her tail on his leg, the gentle, pulsing squeezes that she was doing…

 _I suppose she was right; I_ don't _know what a Lamia can do, and the idea of being exposed to new things isn't bad to me, I just wonder if Miia is going to take it too far one day. Wait a minute, she wouldn't do that. She'd never make me uncomfortable, she's just headstrong. She makes it very hard to say no to, and if she'd just pick an appropriate time other than when someone would walk in, then I'd be more inclined to give into her advances. So for Miia I know that there's something strong going on emotionally for me._

He removed his hand from his face and listened to the sounds coming from the living room. The voice on the karaoke machine told him it was Cerea's turn.

 _Speaking of giving in…Cerea. I was more than comfortable around her today. But I think that's because she's so shy about how she feels; it's endearingly cute. Part of her charm comes from switching her personalities around; one minute a strong, resilient knight, then becoming this fragile, delicate flower, emotional and vulnerable. When she gets like that I feel such a strong pull to her, as if I need to be her champion, instead of the other way around. But that still doesn't put any sort of definite preference over either girl, I just keep going around in circles. I'm going to have to talk to Cerea again after I hear Miia out, just so I know what's going on. I told Cerea at least a few days, so once I hear Miia out I should be closer to making a call. But going around in my own head for the rest of the night isn't going to help._

Tiring of his internal debate, Kimihito walked out of the kitchen area into the living room, standing in the threshold of the room peering in. Cerea had just handed off the microphone to Mero when she caught him standing there in the corner of her eye. She blushed slightly, returning to her seat next to Papi and sat, every now and then chancing a glance over to him, then back to Mero who had also noticed him standing there.

"Dear Sir, please come join us, allow me to sing you a song! I know of a few that are in tune with the tales of Romeo and Juliet. There are many ballads of love unfulfilled, each beautiful to the ear."

Kimihito took a step into the room, "Maybe tomorrow, I'm beat from all the running around I had to get done today, so I think I'll go ahead and turn in for the night."

Mero smiled a little, waving her hand at him. "Very well Dear Sir, please sleep well, and dream of me if tonight is your last dream." Papi, Suu, and Cerea all stood as he wished them goodnight as well.

"Suu hopes you sleep well Boss."

"Goodnight, Husband, see you in the morning!"

"Master, I hope you were not too exerted from today's activities. May we see you tomorrow refreshed and with renewed vigor!"

Smiling at all of them, he turned to Miia, who turned her head halfway to him, a smirk formed on her lips. "Goodnight, Darling. Let me know if there's anything you need later." She had a tinge of blush on her face as she winked at him, causing him to catch his breath in his throat for a moment. He simply nodded to her, not sure the blush on his face was noticeable or not, but thought Miia had seen it, since she let a small giggle rise past her lips. Turning around and walking towards the stairway, he pivoted, remembering that he had not seen Rachnee.

"Hey, as anyone seen Rachnee at all today?"

The girls all looked over to him, then around the room, then at each other, until Cerea spoke up. "She hath not come out of her room since by earlier today. She may still be feeling ill from over-intoxication. Knowing her, she should be back to herself morn."

Kimihito nodded, sending a smile Cerea's way before walking back down the hall and up the stairs, hearing the karaoke kicking back on and Mero beginning her song again. He made it up the flight of stairs, walking to the door in the middle of the hallway which lead to his room. He heard a creak above him, and turning his gaze upward he wondered if Rachnee was even awake at the moment. He thought about opening the attic door to peer in and see if she was asleep, but remembered the last time he went up there, only ending almost being taken advantage of by Rachnee or forced to grope her in order to escape one of her tied-up positions. As much as he wanted to know that Rachnee was feeling alright, he felt he'd rather risk that in the morning once she had a chance to clear her system out of all caffeine.

He turned the handle of his door, moving through the threshold, and just as he had gotten inside and turned around to close the door, he witnessed the door move on its own, slamming loudly shut. Not he knew that he hadn't touched the door at all, and even if he did, he would never shut it that hard. Quickly turning to face the dark room before him, he noticed the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. The window had been left open, wind blowing the curtains lazily as the smell of evening spring sailed into his room.

 _I didn't leave the window open last time I was in here._ Kimihito audibly gulped, his senses strained to sense any intruder. He stood motionless for a moment when he heard and saw nothing, then moved his hand along the wall behind him to find the light switch. Just as his hand found purchase, he felt something graze his arm. Something soft, velvety and thin ghosted the skin of his wrist and hand. Just as he began to wonder what it was, the strings tightened around his wrist, pulling his whole arm to his sides. The same thread-like coils had found their way around his other arm, tying his arms to his torso, then feeling himself quickly being lifted up into the air, until he was easily five feet above the floor of his room, suspended in midair. He kicked his feet in the air, trying to lift his arms from his sides, but found the more he struggled, the tighter the coils got. He craned his head upwards when he heard a mirth of laughter above him, though the source was still unseen in the darkness. Kimihito had no doubt the laughter belonged to his arachnid houseguest, who must have decided to make a midnight visit to his room.

"Rachnee, this isn't one of your usual ties. I can still move my legs about." He waited for a response, but only felt more coils secure themselves around his ankles, effectively restricting his legs and hoisting them to be level with his shoulders. He was perpendicular to his floor, unable to lift his head above him to where Rachnee must have been hiding in the darkness.

"Oh Honey, you're so right, how dare I cheat you out of the full experience. How cruel of me." She spoke in a sing-song manner, as if she was merely toying with him. Not that Kimihito wasn't used to this kind of behavior from Rachnee, but being suspended from the floor by thin threads as much as he was since she came to live with him left him with a manner of expectations. For one thing, Rachnee wasn't sloppy, not even while she was hungover, but she did get forward about her intentions towards him, and her lust seemed to double to the point that it rivaled Miia's intensity. "It seems I owe you some special _treatment_ after all, but I would say you may have already gotten your fill today."

At this Kimihito froze up as he felt the breath of Rachnee on the back of his neck. She must have maneuvered herself above and behind him, because he felt two arms encircle his chest from his back, holding him securely in midair. Rachnee lowered her weight against him just enough so that her entire human half was lying on his back, using the ropes and Kimihito as a sort of hammock in his own room.

"Rachnee…what are you talking-"

Before he could get the words out a clawed hand moved up towards his mouth, silencing his inquiry as well as caressed his cheek with thumb. "Shhh now. Let your dear Rachnee explain. I wasn't exactly surprised when I overheard Miia this morning next to you by the sink, but even I had to hand it to Cerea for her bold move; I was outside on the roof when you and Cerea came home from the market. Can you actually blame me for snooping, Honey? If you were planning on having secret rendezvous with Miia and Cerea, then don't I have the chance for the same situation? So that leads us to here…alone in your room, and I have you exactly where I want too…"

Kimihito tensed so hard upon hearing Rachnee confess to her snooping on him, he thought he had pulled a muscle in his back. Fear shot through his heart for a brief moment as he imagined the other girls learning of these hidden talks he was having with these three girls. Even worse, the possibility that Miia, Cerea, and Rachnee all knew that each of them had been talking with him about the very same issue. Pained faces of each girl passed before his mind's eye, losing himself in guilt. It took Rachnee lightly tickling his ear with her tongue to bring him out of the guilt racking his mind.

"Honey, no need to be so uptight. I can practically hear your heart beating through your shirt, and I don't need any predatory sense to tell. You're worried about the others right?" Kimihito nodded, then casting his eyes down back to the floor, hoping she wouldn't see the discomfort in his eyes.

"Racnhee…I just hate having these talks with half the house seemingly oblivious to it, not to mention how I'm now keeping these things secret from Miia, Cerea, and you. It wouldn't be fair to the others, and I feel like all that will happen is one girl getting what she wants at the expense of the feelings of the others. Each one of them should be honored, but I know none of you will share. I thought maybe Miia and Papi would be willing, but now that Miia was allowed to keep her future mate to herself, and Papi sees no desire to return to her lands, it means that I have to decide the path all of you will go down. If I choose one over the other five, all I do is lose all you as part of my family. In the end, I'm not sure I can take it."

He felt some of the bindings holding his legs up snap, and soon felt himself swinging in mid-air, causing to unconsciously kick his legs, attempting to still himself and cease his momentum. He was stopped when he felt himself bump into who he assumed was Rachnee, since he felt her arms and pedipalps legs around him. He noticed how softly she was clinging onto him; it wasn't like her usual aggressive hold, where she could hold him loose but with reserved strength. This hold was tight, almost as if she was sort of desperately clinging to him, but it wasn't as if he couldn't break out of the hold if he wanted to. She was holding him close, he was slightly lower than her, since she was able to rub her nose into his hair, and he could feel her landing quick kisses. _If the other girls' behaviors were out of the ordinary, THIS definitely takes the cake._ Rachnee raised a hand to his face, pulling at the cords that covered his eyes, and with a 'pop', the cords fell away. Kimihito blinked a few times to focus his eyes to the dark, only to find himself looking up into Rachnee's 'main' eyes, as she slowly closed the gap between them and caught his lips in hers. His breath caught in his throat as his heart beat three times faster. He felt his head spin as Rachnee deepened the kiss, flicking her tongue against his lips tenderly, until he parted slightly and she invaded him, whimpering slightly into him.

For Kimihito, it was an experience unlike anything he would have imagined coming from Rachnee, for someone so brash and confident in her aggression of her feelings towards him...

He pulled slowly, gently, regretfully away from Rachnee's lips, opening his eyes and watching as she searched blindly for his mouth again, until opening her own eyes to look at him, concern flashing across her features.

"Rachnee…please don't be offended by this, but…" He looked away, struggling to word this in a polite way. Turning back to her he spoke. "…Rachnee, this just seems out of character for you. If this is because what Miia and Cerea…"

Rachnee silenced him by pressing herself against him once again, more forcefully this time. Adjusting the cords that held his arms in place, she loosened the bonds on his right arm so he move it up to the elbow. She then put her hand on top of one of his, then pressing his hand on top of her left breast, holding it there as she squeezed his hand with hers, making him grasp her breast on reflex, sending shivers up both their spines. Kimihito froze for a moment, and fought back against an oncoming nosebleed as Rachnee let all the sensations filled him. The silk caress of her lips against his, the flavor of her intoxicating him, along with the soft, encompassing warmth of her breast in his hand, giving under his lightest touch, contrasted by the pebble-sized hill of her erect nipple. He would have nearly lost himself in that moment, surrendering to everything Rachnee needed in that moment, until Rachnee herself pulled back, moving to his earlobe where she breathed sultry and sweetly into his ear.

"Honey, you _know_ better than that. You _know_ by now that this is will past the point of wooing you away from those two, or any girl in the house for that matter. If I had wanted to, I would have simply made off with you, away from this house and all those who interfere."

Rachnee pulled her head back to face him, her hands moved around his neck, holding his head in place so he couldn't look away if he tried. With a hand now unmoving on her breast, Kimihito found himself mesmerized by Rachnee. A tear had formed in the corner of her eye, slowly rolling down her face to past her chin. The floodgate of tears didn't follow the first, as Rachnee gained a little more control back to continue speaking.

"For a long time now, I've been watching you. I've been watching every girl in the house but only in the last few days have things begun moving forward. I'll admit, I had thought it wasn't going to happen this quickly, but here we are; dangling above your room in the middle of the night. The first of the girls have made a decisive move to win you over. Miia was almost obvious in her move, she seems to be the most dire to prove her ownership of you, but being a Lamia, I wasn't that taken aback. Now Cerea was an unexpected move. I thought maybe she would try in a more…conservative way but it seems she is becoming bolder each day. So now I am two times late to beating them. But at least I caught this before it got any further along."

The tears came slowly, but steady now, as she seemed to lose all control on them in order to focus on getting her words to come out. They didn't even sound shaky; she kept herself strong despite her eyes betraying her emotions. This wasn't lost on Kimihito, as he began to get misty in the eyes as well. _So this is what happens. This is what I do to each one of them when they begin to figure it all out._ The idea that he must face down five other girls he cherished when he told them they weren't to be together seemed like an impossible feat, since the sight of Rachnee alone had him almost to tears along with her.

"So I've come to you tonight to give you another choice. You know that my kind typically don't work like this. I would not have offered you an option in the matter, it would have been you and I in a hollow, or a tree, or some dark cave, and there I would take you, make you mine, mark you and please you until you could not think of any other woman but me. I would be your soulmate, and your love of me would drown your senses, blind you to all other but me."

She let her eyes fall a little, bringing her head with it, the tears now starting to creep into her voice, the emotional mask she was wearing, which had already been cracking, was now sinking away.

"But when I look at you…Kimihito when I look at you I lose all sense of what to do. I know I can't take you, like I normally would. I cannot simply claim you and force myself on you. I should be upset. I shouldn't be as happy as I am when I'm with you because a prey shouldn't be this stubborn for me. Instead…my chasing you has only strengthened my desire to see you chase after me. I want to be _your_ prey. I want you to claim me, take me and not surrender me to anyone. Claim me as your woman, and I would bind myself to you as tightly as possible."

She pulled him a little closer now, her lips barely a centimeter away from his own. He felt her hot breathe against his mouth, and felt a subconscious ache for her, something he had not felt a moment ago. He blinked for a moment as she began again.

"So here is my offer; me. I want you Kimihito, I desire no one else but you. And I don't have the heart to simply force myself upon you any longer. I need you to choose that life, a life with me. The others have been eager to fill your ears with promises of what married life will be, what their species offers a mate, but I won't make my case in that way. I don't want to go by a tradition, I want to make this work on our own terms."

Pausing for a moment, she reached up, cutting the cord that allowed him to hang from the ceiling, and clutching him against her, lowered the both of them to the floor. Both feet on the ground, he felt Rachnee's hand tear away at the cords that were around his arms, then lower all of her legs to where she was in a near seated position. Now completely free of his bindings, and standing eye-level with his arachnid housemate, Kimihito felt Rachnee wrap her arms around his shoulders once again, but this time Kimihito joined in the embrace, his hands ghosting around her surprisingly slim waist and resting on her lower back.

"I want to make our relationship happen on terms we both agree on, so we aren't bound by traditions or rules. I want to keep things as simple as possible for you. It can start as slow as you want; I can tell you may not be comfortable jumping into anything right away, so I can wait, so long as I know you are with me." She leaned in, resting her forehead against his, her eyes nearly closed as she spoke in a fearful whisper. "Is…i-is that something you'd want?"

Kimihito was feeling every sensation coming from Rachnee with increased intensity, including every word that she spoke. It was as if every sentence made each heart beat so much heavier, like each beat were two bricks pounding together in his chest. _This is a whole new Rachnee,_ he thought, coherent thought returning to him for the first time since grabbing her breast, _I've never heard her sound so scared. Why is she worried, it's not as if I've made a promise to anyone yet…_

"Rachnee…I…" He almost continued, but paused for a moment and she brought a hand to his face, gently cupping his cheek in her palm, clinging to his words as more tears began to well up in her eyes. _It's like she's bracing herself to get bad news…Oh God what have I done? This is all my fault..._ Taking a breath to steady himself, he spoke again.

"What is really the matter? I haven't made a decision on anyone, but I am trying to honor the feelings of each of you girls respectively. That doesn't mean I've made a choice. I value what you've told me, and if you were the only one to have talked to me about this I would have tried to give you a more definitive answer, but-"

He saw her eyes go wide for a moment, then the tears that were threatening to fall a moment ago did so as she shut her eyes, releasing him and turning around completely, bringing a hand to her mouth to stifle her sobs. He was pushed back slightly as the back of her lower half pushed him away, leaving a distance between them he would have rather closed. She looked up into the corners of his room, not really staring at anything in particular, but just trying to get her crying under control.

"So…you're s-saying that I w-was too late…"

"No! I just…I'm kind of caught in the crossfire here. I don't want to hurt anyone, but I can see now that it will be inevitable. But here, in this moment, I have not made a decision, so you aren't too late. If anything you're on time. So far, you're the only one who wants to make our relationship work on terms we agree upon…that means a lot to me. Knowing you value my input speaks volumes of your feelings, Rachnee. Please don't cry dear."

He grazed a hand on her spider back, making his way around her large lower half and walked around to face her, her eyes looking anywhere but his face. He smiled her teary face, the red puffiness of her cheeks, her lip trembling slightly but her breathing returning to normal. He smiled at her, reaching his arms up to her cheeks, gently cupping her face in his hands and wiping any remaining tears away with his thumbs. Rachnee place a hand on his right hand, cuddling into his palm and cooing under his touch.

"I promise you Rachnee, what you've said has hit home. I won't count you out, but I do need time to figure out what is going on in my heart. I promised Miia and Cerea I would talk to them again, so I will promise the same to you. I'll talk to each of you one more time, then take a day to just reflect on everything, then you will all know. Can you allow me this?"

Sniffling slightly while attempting to blink away any further tears, Rachnee smiled down at him, relieved that his decision wasn't made yet. She nodded, smiling and blushing harder at the close contact they had made. He smiled right back, letting a breathy laugh escape from within him. She returned her laugh as well, and soon both of them were holding each other, relieved and enjoying the closeness they were sharing. Rachnee moved his hands from her face, pulling his arms around her back as she draped one arm around is shoulders, the other ran through his hair again. Being taller of the two again, she rested her head on his, pressing him as closely to her as she could. Kimihito tightened his hold on her waist as well, enjoying the feeling of this gorgeous girl holding him so close. He heard Rachnee's lips moving against his head as she spoke something muffled into his hair, so he moved back his head he looked up at her.

"What was that Rachnee?"

She bit her lower lip, throwing her features into a playful smirk as she spoke, stopping his heart in the process.

"I said I'm in love you, Kimihito."

At this, Kimihito's face went nearly purple in color. She smiled at his unabashed surprise, enjoying the shock he must have been going through. Rachnee enjoyed the reactions she could get out of him, but this one surely took the cake. He went stiff as a board, barely able to get a breath in. His mouth was flapping like a house shutter, trying to get a word out. She decided to end that by leaning back in, planting a kiss on his lips again, snuggly pulling him as close as possible, moaning slightly into his mouth.

Kimihito could barely register the pull into Rachnee's body, and could hardly feel the kiss for a moment, before responding to any of it. No girl in his house had admitted their feelings to this extent before, much less spoken out loud the L word around him. It was almost sort of a given thing with everyone; assumed but unspoken. Rachnee had been the first to give voice to her feelings, and Kimihito was floored.

Pulling back from her kiss, she blushed at his gawking expression, and as she saw him begin to search for the right words to say, she pulled a hand from his back and placed it on his lips, silencing anything he was going to say.

"I know Honey, I know; you weren't expecting that. It's a lot to take in, so I get it. I don't expect you to say it back…tonight. But now you know, that's all I wanted to accomplish. You know I love you now, no wondering or assuming. I. Love. You." She emphasized these last three words by landing kisses on forehead, then pulling back and heading for the open window. Kimihito, moved to pull her back into the room, feeling as though she shouldn't leave without getting something back in return for everything she had told and done to him. She turned, putting a hand up and smiling at him.

"Now now, remember you promised the others you would touch back with them. You don't have to say anything tonight, I want it to sink in…You've been bitten by my love, Honey, so now it's up to time to decide if you survive or succumb to it. But all I wanted to do is give you a little taste of that sweet poison only I can give you. Now it's your call." She pulled herself out onto the roof outside his window, turning and giving him a playful smile that held more promises than Kimihito wanted to know of. "I can wait a few more days, but please don't string all of us around for long. Girls can get…tense when they have to compete for something, but I don't think it will come to that. Goodnight Honey, pleasant dreams my love." As she disappeared from his window, he paused only for a brief moment before moving to the window, scrambled as he nearly threw himself out the window attempting to chase after her. When he looked around, however, she had just closed the window to her room and turned off the light. Feeling the wind blowing on his face, and the moonlight shining down around him, he blinked a few times, then pulled himself back into his room, shutting the window behind him, then collapsing onto his bed, breathing heavily as butterflies danced in his stomach.

No thoughts entered his head, he could not formulate one single idea on what had just happened. If not for the warmth of his hands and the remnant feel of her had on his, he would have thought it all to have been a dream. Instead he simply set his alarm on the bed next to him, making sure it would wake him in two hours to go meet Miia at her room, then laid on the bed with his hands resting on his stomach, staring at the ceiling, attempting to figure out what had just happened. He looked out his window one last time, then returned his gaze to inside the room, unable to stop the smile that soon enveloped his entire face, his cheeks going as red as they could go. That smile and blush stayed with him for a while as he closed his eyes, drifting thoughtlessly to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Secrets Ch. 4

Kimihito slowly peeked his eyes open, the view of his window greeting him. The moon shown into his room, providing the only light source, aside from the blinking of the alarm clock behind him. Rolling over, he clicked the snooze button of the alarm on his bedside clock, rolling his feet to the floor, leaning over the bed. Having talked with Rachnee earlier, Kimihito had fallen into a dreamless nap, but it was by no means unpleasant for him. His mind was racing when he thought back to Rachnee's visit; the way her hands grazed his skin, the feel of her lips gently massaging his, the feel of his hand on her generous breast…

His heartbeat seemed to double in that moment when he thought back to Rachnee. He had never began to think of any of these girls in such a way that he would give into their seduction willingly, knowing it could affect the relationship he had with the other girls. Now, in just under a day, he had been visited by and nearly gave into the advances by three different women of his household. If he had been a gambling man…

Kimihito was brought out of his thoughts when the alarm on his clock went off again. Annoyed, he reached for the clock with one hand, rubbing some of the remaining sleep out of his eye with the other. Turning off the alarm, he checked the time, seeing the digital numbers read out 12:37am. _Shit…I was supposed to meet Miia in her room over a half hour ago._ Frustrated, he rubbed his forehead with the palm of his hand. _How could I carelessly allow myself to get romantic with no just one, but three of them. Miia convincing me to meet her tonight, agreeing to going to Cerea's homeland, and now Rachnee saying she's in love with me…I keep letting them say and do these things and don't even try to stop them…_

He reached back behind him, grabbing a pillow and throwing it at the wall across from him, allowing the momentum of his arm to move him to stand. The pillow sank to the ground after making a light thud against the wall, folding nearly in two on the carpeted floor of his room. He observed the pillow for a moment, before a thought dawned on him. _Why haven't I stopped them yet? I could have stopped them at any time, told them like normal to stop and allow me my space. If I had told Miia to stop, or had just pretended to not see Cerea at the market, then Rachnee wouldn't have felt obligated to talk to me, and even then I should have just told all three of them no. I'm the only one I can blame for being stuck in this mess._ He moved across the room, leaning down and picking up the pillow, turning it over in his hands before walking over to the bed, placing it back where he had taken it from. _Then again…Isn't this what I wanted? I could have stopped them, but each time I not only let them, but encouraged their actions. I know I enjoyed what was happening, and I do feel something for each of them…Maybe it's like what Ms. Smith said, that by holding off I'm only hurting them individually. Keeping the suspense is only going to increase the tension around here anyway, and that makes it harder to keep the household together if I did chose…So the only way to alleviate the situation is by talking to them. Great, right back where I started. Might as well get this over with, it's well past time I spoke with Miia._

Resolved, Kimihito walked towards the door of his room, opening it slowly and peeking his head outside, careful to see if anyone happened to be awake in the hallway. The lights were off outside his bedroom, and the only glow was from a nightlight that was in the bathroom across from his bedroom door. Checking both ends of the hall, everyone's door was closed, and he didn't hear anyone downstairs, so he figured it was safe to assume everyone was asleep. He checked the ceiling near the window looking out to the street, where the attic door of Rachnee's room was located. _Shut too…I guess that everyone's asleep. Guess it's now or never…_ As quietly as he could, he crept down the hall towards Miia's room, located just underneath Rachnee's attic. He winced internally every time he heard a floorboard creak, minding his footfalls be as tender and light as possible. Finally getting to her door, he gently rapped twice on Miia's door, then strained his hearing against the door for any signs Miia on the other side. Silence was his only answer, except for the pounding of his heart in his chest. Deciding she must have fallen asleep, he took a risk and quietly opened the door, careful to get in the room as quickly and quietly as possible, turning around as he got his body through, and watching as he closed the door as smoothly as possible. Sighing as he got into the room, he felt hot breath on his neck, causing goosebumps all over his body.

"Darling…what took you so long?" Kimihito felt two arms snake their way around his midsection, closing around his chest and hugging him tightly, as the body of his Lamia roommate pressed tightly against him. "I thought you had forgotten to come, was oh so worried Darling…but now you're here…I can't tell you how happy it makes me that you came tonight." She drove her final words home by flicking her tongue against his the back of his ear before landing kisses on his neck. Kimihito's knees felt like butter, his hands on the doorknob gone as they hang limply at his sides. Whatever Miia was doing with her mouth on his neck was electrifying, and he could hardly make a functioning thought under the sensory overload, adding on the shock of Miia appearing right behind him.

"How-how long were you waiting up, Miia?"

She moved her hands along the muscles of his chest, her fingertips grazing over his pectorals and collarbone, before dipping down to his naval. "All night. I couldn't sleep knowing I was going to be getting a visit from my Darling Kimihito." She moved her hands to his shoulders, turning him around to face her and then moving back slowly, making sure her hips were swaying as much as possible, which would have been hypnotic enough for Kimihito had he not been distracted enough by her outfit. The blinds were closed on her window and her desk light was off, but Miia had lit a few candles around the room, which gave a serene glow of light around the room. That was the only way Kimihito was able to see his Lamia houseguest in her full glory. She was wearing an open nightgown, similar to what she wore when she was under the effect of the full moon, except this gown was all white. It was made of a thin silk, outlined by thin white fuzz. The silk was so thin it hid nothing from Kimihito's eyes, exposing her teardrop breasts, while her pinkish nipples were erect and in full view. The outfit was buttoned just below her cleavage line, held by two buttons until separating again where her thin stomach began to curve out into her generous hips, where he saw a lacy pair of panties covering her front. A small white rose on the left shoulder completed the top, accented by a pair of white long gloves on her arms to set the look. In her hair instead of her usual yellow hair clips were two smaller white roses instead, holding back her flowing red hair perfectly. The look was intoxicating, the outfit clearly meant to seduce even the strongest willed man.

"Miia…you look…"

She moved slowly towards him, her eyes half-closed and sultry as she coiled her tail around his legs, arms wrapping around his shoulders, her lips coming just a short of his own. She smelled of roses and berries, the combination of both was nearly overpowering Kimihito's will, unaware of how his arms acted on their own, wrapping themselves around her tightly, pulling her into him as he tried to be as close to the Lamia beauty as he could.

"Yes Darling? How do I look? I got this just for you, it's like a wedding dress, isn't Kimihito? Don't you think I'd make a lovely bride, Darling?"

Kimihito felt the air in the room become extremely heavy, as if he were standing in a sauna. All he could do was dumbly nod his head at the girl in his arms. Miia smiled at him, closing the distance between them and locking her lips against his. Kimihito felt his breath quicken as she claimed his lips with her mouth, and let his inhibitions slip as he reflexively pulled Miia harder against his body. He felt Miia tickle his lips again with her tongue, but this time he openly invited her in, allowing her to explore his mouth as his tongue met hers. He was no match for the reach and strength she had, so he just danced around her tongue as she reached deeper and parried all of his actions. She had whimpered into his mouth when his hands found their way to her lower back, squeezing and groping her lower back and the snake half just below her hips, finding her scales to have the same give as if it were a regular human buttocks. Yet her scales were firm, she cooed at his ministrations and every part of her that was wrapped around him squeezed tighter. She had raised herself on her tail slightly, as if she had given herself a few more inches of height, so that Kimihito had a better reach of her backside.

Just as Kimihito had forgotten why he had come here and what he was doing, she separated from him, electing a moan from both of them at the sudden loss of body heat and closeness. Still, Miia smiled, moving towards the bed, her tail uncoiled enough from his legs to allow him to move, but coiled again around his left arm, pulling him along with her to her bed. She sat at the foot of the bed, arms on either side of her, propping her up and pushing her cleavage up and out.

"Darling, I never knew you could be so aggressive! I'm glad to see you've finally realized who it is you truly desire." Once her tail brought him close enough, she took hold of his other hand and pulled him behind her so that he was laying right ways on the bed, with Miia on top of him. She had pushed her hips between his legs, and had her tail wrap around the both of them snuggly, with just enough room for Miia to maneuver however she wanted on top of him. With a coy smile she began to lift his shirt up, exposing his bare chest, where she began to like and kiss starting at the naval, slowly trailing up his stomach and onto his chest, stopping at a nipple to tease with her tongue, all the while eyeing him up with a look of hunger and lust. At the same time, her hands abandoned removing his shirt and began to make for the top button of his pants.

 _Crap! I didn't mean to get this far, now she thinks I only came here for sex. I've got to get her talking so she'll take her mind of having her way with me!_

Just as Miia was about to reach for the zipper, he reached down and clasped a hand into each of his own, holding each arm away from the both of them. Miia had stopped kissing his chest and gave him a look of slight annoyance for stopping her conquest of his body. "Darling, you can't seriously tell me to stop when you willingly come to me, knowing what kind of night you were getting into."

Trying to pull her hands free, Kimihito took a better grasp of her wrists, firm but gentle in his hold of her. "Miia, I came here to talk, you know that's what we agreed. You told me I would learn what Lamia marriage was like so I could understand what I'd be getting into. There was no mention of us having sex. I admit that…I am enjoying what you were doing, but you promised me we could talk. I still don't want to make a decision yet, I just want to talk. I appreciate all the effort you put into this, I promise you it speaks volumes, but I'm just not ready. Not where there are five other people in this house who are feeling the same way that you do, it would be wrong to simply ignore their feelings. Just…can you please understand the position I'm in?" All the while he had been talking, Kimihito hadn't noticed that Miia's head had begun to drop down, until only the top of her head was visible to him, her hair covered any part of her face that may have been seen. A long moment passed between them, and Kimihito had released his hold on Miia's hands as well. As he propped himself on one elbow, he felt something dropping onto his stomach. Between this sensation and noticing how Miia began to shiver a little bit, he realized that Miia had begun to cry. Taken aback, he reached for Miia's chin, only to have his hand swatted away by her tail, while she uncoiled them both and moved back to the foot of the bed, sitting with her back facing him.

"So…" she spoke, in a slow, uneven voice, "You mean to tell me you…that you thought coming here was just to have a _friendly_ chat? Did you not understand me at all?"

Kimihito moved to a kneeling position behind her, his mind racing to defuse the situation, both to elevate her anger and to make sure she didn't wake up any of the other girls.

"Miia I thought we were just going to talk about how marriage works for Lamias, not sleep together. That's why I came, I didn't come here to sleep with you." The minute he finished, he immediately regretted it. Miia whirled around on him, fangs bared and looking more frightening and hurt than he had ever seen her. The hot tears streaming down her face told him enough how much he had hurt her.

"OH, so I suppose it's normal to come to a girl's room in the middle of the night, even if you were invited, even if you KNOW how I feel about you, just to 'talk'. I'm sorry, _Darling_ , but that's not how marriage works for a Lamia. You want to know how that kind of relationship is supposed to work?"

In a flash, she coiled her tail around his entire body, pinning him down to the bed. The tail around his body squeezed harder than he had ever felt in his time with Miia. He winced as he felt a few joints pop under the pressure of her tail, but couldn't focus on the feeling, as he was still feeling a numbness inside from how she used her pet name for him as a weapon against him for the first time in his life. His focus then came back to her, as Miia began again to speak, fresh tears falling freely from her face.

"For a Lamia, her mate…her _husband_ is everything to her! Sure, if we must share a man between multiple partners, we don't hog him from other. But if we are so lucky to have a man of our own…that is our dream! To be married and have a family with a man that belongs only to us! A man we can bear our souls and bodies to, and in return we only ask for love, protection, and a family. For years I have watched other women of my race live their lives half full; they willingly give up on having a mate of their own so they can share and help keep our species alive. THAT is why…when my mother told me…when she said I could keep you to myself…that I didn't have to share you…that is when I knew I could give my heart to you fully. I couldn't bear to live with myself knowing that I had given you away as a communal husband. That's why I haven't said how I truly feel about you, so that way I could maybe pretend that my duty to my race was the most important thing to me, instead of how I felt about you."

She uncoiled herself a little from his body, allowing him a change to get a few fresh breaths of air in his lungs, before Miia wrapped her arms around his shoulders, nuzzling into his neck, crying openly. The tears soaked through his shirt, and Kimihito began to feel misty eyed before Miia spoke again, freezing his heart in mid beat.

"I love you, Kimihito Kurusu. I have loved you from the moment you took me into your home, you welcomed me in and saw me as a real girl, as an equal. When you showed me that the differences between us didn't make you see me differently, I knew I had found a man that I would break all my traditions, all the trust my species put in me for. I was, and still am ready to defy all the laws of my people for you. If it means I can spend the rest of my life with you I would happily be exiled from everyone in my race…my mother, my friends, my country…I would give it all up for you Darling…can't you see that?"

Kimihito felt his heart shatter for the girl clinging to him for dear life. She pulled up to look at him with pleading eyes, begging for some sign that her words had reached him. He blinked several times, as a sniffle and a few tears threatened to break his emotional wall, he reached up with both hands, cupping her face. Miia held her breath, not sure what he was going to do. In a sudden motion, he brought his lips and Miia's together, kissing her for all he was worth. Miia went wide eyed as she froze up entirely, unsure if this was real or if she had merely imagined that her Darling had actually kissed her, instead of the other way around as it had been before. Realizing he was initiating it, she closed her eyes in sheer joy as she whimpered into his mouth again, arms wrapping around his shoulders as he deepened the kiss. The inhibitions for Kimihito had all disappeared, and for the first time he was fully enjoying having a beautiful housemate be in love with him. He took Miia's hips into his hands, holding her against him in sexual fervor, the feel of her tail around him now pleasantly tight, as if she couldn't get enough of her body around him. Her hands were roaming his upper body, moving quickly between his shoulders, then around his next, holding his face as she pushed herself deeper into his embrace, then up into his hair, gently pulling and massaging his scalp, then back down all over again. Kimihito pushed himself up, first an elbow up then a knee, until he had enough leverage to roll himself and Miia over, where Miia was now underneath him, breaking from the kiss to stare up at him with heavy lidded eyes. She slowly moved a hand to her ample chest, trailing a hand from her collarbone between her breasts, down her stomach and to her naval, batting her lashes at him in a come hither manner. Kimihito instead sat up, now resting on his knees, smiling down at his Lamia roommate, closing his eyes and shaking his head. Miia blinked rapidly, coming out of her enamored stupor, then sat up with him, angrily grabbing at his shirt and pulling him face to face with her.

"Darling, you had better not tell me that this was all a façade to make me feel better. I swear to God if you are playing with my heart-"

Kimihito raised a hand to her, gently pressing a thumb to her rose petal lips, the rest of his hand cupping her face. Her eyes softened, and she flicked out a tongue against his wrist, nuzzling slightly into his palm, awaiting him to speak.

"Miia, I'm not rejecting you, and I promise I'm not intentionally trying to hurt you. Just please hear me out, as I just let you speak." Contemplating for a moment, Miia simply nodded, prompting Kimihito to move his hand away from her mouth, and instead used his whole hand to caress her cheek, a few fingers rubbing the skin behind her long ear causing Miia to bat her eyes at him, purring into his hand and melting like butter under his touch.

"I know it seems like I haven't been able to make up my mind until now, but it's been harder than you think. If it had just been the two of us until now, I would have made up my mind, but since you've come to me Miia, five other girls have come into my life. Some are more forward than others, but they all have something they feel for me. It wouldn't be fair to the others, at least those who have been just as forward as you, to deny them the chance to at least talk to me, tell me about what they want in a relationship."

Miia's gaze turned from soft to stern, a look of angered hurt. Her mouth became a little agape, and pulled back a little at his speech, shrugging his hand away from her cheek. Kimihito tried to take her face back into his palm again, but only for Miia to brush his hand away, a little more forcefully than she had intended.

"Miia…please just try to understand-"

Miia pushed back against him, moving away towards the head of the bed, leaving Kimihito confused at her actions. He reached for her again, but was shocked to see for the first time Miia covering herself up from his gaze, going red in the face and turning her gaze from him.

"So…who was it? Who else talked to you Kimihito?" He opened his mouth to respond, only for her tail to wrap around his mouth, effectively cutting him off, she leaned back over, rising up menacingly above him, the misty tears returning to her eyes.

"NO! Don't you dare tell me who, otherwise I'll do something I regret later….This isn't fair. Everything was perfect for us, and now? Now I can't…I just…ugh." She sighed, closing her eyes. The silence that stood between them was loud in Kimihito's ears. Finally, after what felt like hours, she opened her eyes again, looking at Kimihito intensely. She looked as though she were looking for something behind his eyes, some tell that would tell her exactly what she needed to know. He felt her eyes looking deeper into his than he had ever noticed before, her gaze hypnotizing. _Miia has never looked at me like that before, not even when she's trying to seduce me._ She released her tail from around his mouth, moving closer to him now, her hands coming up to cup his head, studying every inch of his face. She narrowed her eyes, turning his head slightly in her hands, but almost always focusing on his eyes. Then she pulled back, taking in all his features at once, before bringing his face back to hers, claiming his lips yet again. This kiss was calm, devoid of all passion, but simply meant to have the feel of him upon her lips again. Then she pulled back, resting her forehead against his, rubbing the end of her nose against his, her eyes gently closed. Kimihito sat there, unsure of what to do in this situation.

"Miia…I-" She shushed him again, her breath like warm berries upon his lips. She opened her eyes back to him, and again wrapped her arms around his shoulders, a small smile across her features.

"I forgive you Darling."

Kimihito blinked, unsure of what she was talking about. "Miia what are you-"

"Hush now…I understand. I'm sorry I got so angry. I keep forgetting that you have a choice to make too. I'm sorry I scared you…I just hate living in fear that I may be wrong. Hope is a dangerous thing, it can make a girl fight as hard as possible for a man she loves. But I also forgot there are others vying for the very same thing I am, especially when it's a man like you Kimihito."

She kissed the end of his nose, electing a small blush out of him again. Kimihito was having a hard time keeping track of just what was going on, but Miia spoke again before he could get a read on the situation.

"I promise that will be the last time I get angry over this situation. You have my word Darling. Now…as I was telling you earlier, I think I already know what your heart wants. It's not me trying to be presumptuous about it either. It's just the facts of your genes. Most men would be erratic or frightened whenever a Lamia coils themselves around them." She moved her tail around him again, wrapping up from the end of his legs to his upper thighs, gently squeezing them as if she were simply enjoying the feeling of being wrapped around him without interruption from the other girls for once. "But you don't get afraid. Your heart is calm right now, which means you aren't afraid of me. Did you know that Lamia's have excellent hearing Darling?"

Kimihito gulped some saliva down, unsure of where Miia was going with this line of thought. "Yes Miia, I knew that."

"Oh good…then you must also know Lamia's have a good sense of smell too." Miia moved close to his face again, eyes closed and sniffed the air around his face, deep and slow. "Because I can smell the hormones coming off you in waves. I don't smell this when you're close to Papi, or Suu, or many of the other girls too. It's not just the smell of lust…it's more than that. There's something there that I doubt even you can find. It's such a…strong scent, a manly scent from my Darling Kimihito." Kimihito blushed profusely, really getting lost in whatever point she was trying to make.

"And _my_ Darling, _my_ Kimihito…If those point weren't enough to convince me, you even look at me differently. I can see it in your eyes. I can see it in the heat you give off when you touch me. Your body…it becomes like a furnace whenever you hold me. It's like a sun in the center of your chest, just there." She placed a hand over where his heart was, closing her eyes and feeling the heat radiating off his body.

"The heat that's there, whether I touch you or the other way round…it's like an inferno. Surely you have noticed it too. The warmth bubbling up inside you? Tell me I'm wrong."

Kimihito opened his mouth, trying to find anything that could explain what she was saying away. Instead all he could do was open and close his mouth, like a trout out of water. _She can't be right…can she? I do find myself unable to keep fighting her off, in fact if it wasn't for the other girls barging in there would be no way to stop her from making her moves, furthermore I don't think I'd want her to stop even if I could._ Finding no will to fight her, he simply lowered his gaze, ashamed that he had never noticed how his body had been reacting to her. She giggled slightly, placing a hand on her chin and raising his gaze back up to hers.

"Kimihito it's okay. You don't have to say anything…yet. I know how you feel though…you love me too. I know you do. Even if you're scared to say it now, I can smell it coming off you." He looked at her again, not sure of what to say, how to respond to him. She leaned in again, kissing him open mouthed, sliding her tongue in again to tease his own, before pulling back. "I know Darling…don't say anything. Let me just give you this one thing…one small gift so that you can start to understand the depth of my feelings…"

She moved down his chest, kissing his skin slowly, but purposefully. She continued down his chest, reaching his belly button, flicking her tail inside, before moving down to his belt line. She gazed hack up at him, and without breaking eye contact, began to undo the button and zipper of his pants. She reached a hand down to take hers away, but found both his hands tied back with the end of her tail. She flicked her tongue out again, grazing the skin just below his belt line, sending a shiver up his spine.

"Darling…please…let me have this. Allow me to prove to you how I feel…let me have this one act to show you what a Lamia is capable of as a wife. I won't take it any farther than this. Please Darling?" Her pleading look struck him to the core; he found his restraints slowly letting go. _Well…it's not quite sex I suppose, so there isn't a big commitment issue…but this isn't right. Still…I'm not forcing her to do it…she's the one who wants this more than me…_ Noticing his resignation, she smiled up at him, joyful tears falling from her eyes. "Thank you Darling, you won't regret this."

Now free to act how she pleased, she brought her face close to his belt line, having finally finished with his button and zipper, slowly pulled down his pants. As she did, for the first time, Miia caught an unobstructed view of Kimihito's half-erect member. It twitched in the cold air, rising slowly, rubbing slightly against her cheek as it raised up, standing at full mast, twitching eagerly. She placed a single hand around the base of his member, looking into Kimihito's eyes one last time for any sign of reluctance. Seeing none, she began to lightly stroke the base of his shaft, moving slowly up and down with a slightly circular pull. At the same time, she flicked her tongue excitedly over the tip, relishing in the taste of her beloved's member. She brought a little more of her tongue out of her mouth, coiling around the tip as she gently squeezed and massaged him at the base. Kimihito could only gasp at the new sensations he was experiencing. The feel of her tongue was like wet velvet against his tip; he cooed and gasped for breath under her touch, the feeling in his loins should have been illegal it felt so good, causing him to arch his back and lean his head back onto the bed. Just as the feelings had begun, just as quickly it had ended, prompting Kimihito to look down at Miia, only to watch as Miia, cupping his balls in her palm, moved her lips around the tip of his member, gently licking and sucking at it in a strong, pulsating rhythm, stirring a fire in Kimihito's loins. He saw stars shoot in front his eyes and she worked him over, now becoming a little rougher on him, audibly sucking on him, then changing it up and pulling back to use her tongue on his tip again. Before long she noticed him twitching far more than when she started, and seeing the timing to be right, opened her mouth wide and relaxed her throat, taking him all the way down to the base, while gently squeezing and massaging his sack. Kimihito couldn't help but audibly moan as her wet mouth began to suck on him slow and steady, while she began to gently bob up and down on him, relishing in the flavor of his skin, the saltiness of his precum on his tip. She sucked harder now, bobbing on him as she released his hands, and Kimihito braced himself with one hand against the bed, the other drifting down to her head, running a hand through her red locks, urging her on. He began to repeat her name over and over, begging her for release, encouraging her work on him. She was only happy to oblige, as she began to speed up, sucking hard and working the underside of his shaft with her tongue, using it to squeeze and caress his whole length. He felt the fine in his pelvis burning hotter than ever before, and just as he began to arch back into her mouth, she felt him grow larger in her mouth, bringing him to orgasm. Streams of his cum burst forth into her mouth midstroke, filling every space and cavity that wasn't occupied already by his member. She looked up at him, with his shaft still in her mouth, before bobbing a few more times as his cock stopped twitching, sucking him dry with her tongue, massaging his sack to ensure she got every last drop of him. Slowly she raised her head off of him, being sure not to leave any cum behind, before opening her mouth to show him that she had taken everything he had into her. She swished his cum with her tongue, moving it around and enjoying the earthy, salty flavor of him, before closing her mouth and audibly gulping it all down, opening her mouth to catch her breath. She panted over him, seeing the dazed glossy look in his eyes told her enough that she had succeeded. She kissed the tip of his now shrinking member, before pulling up his pants again and squirming up to him, bringing the hand that was resting on her head with her, gently kissing it as she wrapped it around her, nuzzling into him and coiling both tail and arms around him, letting out a contented sigh. Kimihito had just caught his breath and regained feeling in his extremities when he felt her weight shift, wrapping his arms around her and kissing the top of her forehead. She leaned up on one elbow, staring lovingly into his eyes.

"Darling…you tasted wonderful…I could really get addicted to that." She smiled down on him, moving to kiss his open lips, cutting off his ragged breath and enjoying the feel of his lips yet again. She returned the action, kissing her like never before, firm but yielding, desperate to convey the feelings welling up inside of him from her actions.

"Miia...that was-" She giggled up at him, hushing his lips again with a finger.

"That was just a _taste_ of what you can expect from me…every night when we're married, I'll tend to your every need. Anything you could want a woman to do I will more than happily do for you. Now…no more words…I just want to nap here with you…Stay with me tonight Darling…keep me warm…" She yawned into him, nuzzling into his neck, ghosting a kiss on his skin every now and again, purring as she began to drift into sleep. Kimihito smiled, finding that he didn't want to move from where he was, moved a hand off her to grab a green afghan that was on the edge of the bed, throwing it over them both as he felt sleep come upon him too. _What's the worse that will happen? I'll just wake her up a little before everyone else wakes up so I can go back to my room without raising suspicion._ Relaxing into the embrace of his Lamia roommate, he felt a wave of contentment and peace fall upon him. His heart was swollen with feelings that he had been unable to identify before he came into her room, which merely lay dormant for him before. As he felt his eyelids grow heavy and began to fall to sleep, he leaned down to whisper into the ear of the girl in his arms, causing her to squeeze him a little tighter and kiss him hard on the neck, only to nuzzle more into that crevice with a smile he wasn't able to see, and a final tear that fell from her closed eye. As they both drifted off to sleep, the words he whispered to her echoed in her mind.

" _My sweet Miia, you were right; I love you too."_

 _So here's a little message from me to you; my valued readers. Thank you for all the support so far; be it in the reviews, the favorites or the follows, I cannot express the joy I get knowing the popularity of this piece has skyrocketed over the last few days. Here's just some quick notes to consider moving forward into the rest of this story:_

-This was a very hard chapter to write. I had some trouble finding an end to the bickering they have between the two of them.

The story is still on track to see all three girls mentioned as the main choices get their shot at Kimihito, Miia just had the benefit of being first. He has only admitted to feelings of one, but that doesn't mean they are prevailing feelings that will trump the other girls.

-I am on the lookout for a beta reader; I'm terrible at catching grammar mistakes. If you want to donate some time to make this fic better, PM me and we can set something up.

Keep the love going, I appreciate all you guys do for me!

-Banis


	5. Chapter 5

Secrets Ch 5

Kimihito stirred slightly, awaking from a very relaxing sleep with Miia still in his arms. It seems Miia had been sufficiently warm enough during the night that she had not subconsciously coiled herself entirely around his body, but instead only loosely coiled around a leg, slightly on his torso, but otherwise her arms just wrapped tightly around his chest, her head nestled into the crook of his neck. The memories of the previous night came back to him in a flash, remembering how Miia had confessed to him her deepest feelings, and just remembering what she did with her mouth sent shivers up his spine. Looking around him, he noticed that all the candles that had been lit the night before had all burnt out, and the only light was coming from above him, from the small sliver in the curtain of the sun from the window. Craning his head above the bed's headboard, he looked through the curtain to see the grey skies above giving way to an invading orange sky, the first beam of the morning sun rising over the rooftops of the neighborhood.

'I slept here?! Jesus…I have to get out of Miia's room before someone else wakes up, least of all Miia.'

Carefully pulling his arms from around Miia, she snuggled into him more, pushing her breasts into his chest, and murmuring a string of Darlings into his side and a contented smile on her face. He took her in for a moment, absorbed in her innocent beauty. 'She can be so gentle with me when she wants to, when she's in control of herself.' Thinking back to the past events of the full moon, Kimihito remembered the nearly savage, possessive nature of his monstergirl housemates. Because of their latent physiology, they can keep their carnal desire in check during all times, except during a full moon. Kimihito shuddered, remembering how his lack of knowledge of full moons had nearly rendered him paralyzed and bed ridden for life because of his indecisiveness. Back then he wasn't trying to encourage the feelings of any of the girls, but now three of them he knew of were vying for his attention, and more importantly he was expected to choose one of them as a wife very soon. Rolling back over on his back, he put an arm over his eyes, exhaling softly through his teeth.

'How did I get myself into this mess? How can I possibly chose?'

" _You already know in your heart who you love."_

Throwing his arm off his head, Kimihito's eyes blinked in surprise at his own thoughts.

'What if I did already know, but I was too afraid to admit it to myself…No wait that could just be Miia getting into my head. Lamias are experts at seduction and luring their prey in, that could just be a tactic Miia learned from her mother to convince me I was in love with her…'

As if hearing his thoughts, Miia pushed her had across his chest to the opposite side, eventually pushing herself up onto her elbows. Yawning slightly, she brought a hand to her eye, rubbing some of the sleep away, before blinking a few times and focusing her gaze on him. Smiling down on him, pushing a few loose strands of her long red hair behind her elongated ear, biting her lower lip in what Kimihito imagined was the way she always wanted to wake up next to him, and the effect wasn't lost on him either.

"Morning, _Darrrrlinng_." She purred her pet name for him, before moving for his lips, capturing his with her in a quick, passionate kiss. Taken back for a moment, he relished in the softness of her lips upon his, the feel of her naked body slowly beginning to coil around him, her expansive chest pressed into his side and chest. She whimpered into him as he lifted his head slightly, pressing his lips into hers and engaging more in her kiss. She moved a hand to the side of his head, pushing his face a little more into hers. Happily purring into his throat, she pulled away, dreamily staring down at him, while Kimihito lay there, only slightly conscious of the smile forming on his face as well. She laid back down into his embrace, his own arms encircling her, while Miia grazed kisses into the side of his face, her hot breathe tickled his ear.

"Oh _Darrrlinng_ , I can't tell you how good it feels to wake up in your arms…holding me…" Kimihito felt a cold chill go up his spine as he felt her tongue trace his outer ear, spending plenty of time on his earlobe. "…the feel of your warm hands…I could be in your arms forever…"

Miia continued to make over him, lightly kissing at his neck and earlobe, before moving across his cheek bone and onto his lips, where he matched her fervor equally. The feel of her lips on his was more pleasant than the more aggressive kissing from earlier, as if to cement her place with him even more than she had last night. As Miia's hands began to drift towards his beltline, Kimihito internally sighed as he forced himself to stop Miia from going any further, creating a labored moan from his lamia houseguest.

"Darling…you cannot seriously expect me to-" But her complaint was cut off by a short, but passionate kiss to her lips as he maneuvered himself a little more so a foot was free and on the floor. Rolling her over him to the side, he managed to sidestep her grab at his arm and stand up, putting a few paces between her bed and himself. "Now now," he whispered, a small smile on his face as he applauded himself on finally getting free, "Not just yet. I've still got to feed five more girls in this house, and it's easily past time I would normally be up and working."

Miia huffed at him, blowing a strand of hair out of her face and propping herself up with both hands behind her on the bed. It took all Kimihito had to not notice how Miia was forcing her incredible bust outward towards him, in such a disappointed/angry/seductive pose that he would surely regret having to possibly deal with in the future. "I can't believe my Darling could be such a tease…especially after a night like we had…" She smirked at him as she undoubtedly noticed the color going right to his cheeks.

"Miia…please, here and now I am still not ready for… _that._ "

Miia blinked for a moment, turning her head to the side while closing her eyes, sighing to herself. The silence held, nearly long enough to make him second guess before she turned back to him, a look of resignation on her face. "Alright…go."

Kimihito nodded, heading towards the door. It felt as though he was floating a bit as he moved through the threshold to the hallway. All the while Kimihito's mind was filtering through the events of the previous night, still reeling from the feel of Miia and what had transpired between them. As he rounded the corner and moving towards his bedroom door, his mind was split between his feelings for Miia, the conflicting emotions for her and the other girls who had come to him, and how out of place he felt from lying to everyone.

' _Was this the right thing for me to do? I hadn't planned on doing anything with any of the girls yet…This was a mistake, it wasn't fair to Cerea or Rachnee. If they found out they would think that I had made a choice. Oh gods. What have I done...?_

Panic began to fill Kimihito up as the implications of his actions began to catch up with him. The fear of the other girls finding out had stopped him in his tracks, leaving him petrified in the hallway outside of his room. He covered his mouth with his hands, feeling the warmth of last nights' memories slip away and be replaced by the terror and revelation of what he had just done.

' _How did this happen?! How did I…what is that smell?'_

He breathed in the strange scent coming off of his hands, a puzzled look on his face. He brought his hands closer to his nose, closing his eyes and breathing in the scent, focusing on it. He remembered this scent, it was thick of perfume, it was whatever Miia had been wearing last night, except it didn't resemble what she normally wore. This was much stronger, much more…

' _Incense? Why would she…?'_

It struck him like lightning to the brain. Her mother had used the very same type of incense to try making him more "willing" with Miia back when she came to visit. He remembered the feelings of overpowering lust over him when he was under its influence, and it clicked with Kimihito that Miia was not above using Lamia tactics to ensnare him. ' _Does that mean she tricked me? Did I do what she wanted because of some burning leaves and smoke?'_

What baffled him was how she had used the incense on him but didn't take things all the way when he must have been more amendable to the situation. She had everything in place to claim him as her mate, and it would have sealed the deal in the eyes of the other girls.

' _No…She wasn't trying to trick me. She wasn't trying to take advantage of me all the way. I still said no. I told her no and she listened. She only used just enough to get what she wanted. Then…Does that mean she only wants to mate for the sake of children?'_

For the first time Kimihito felt a pang of distrust towards his Lamia housemate. He could not have imagined feeling used by someone who put on such a caring and lovey-dovey attitude, but here he was, finding himself unable to explain _why_ she had used incense to ease his reservations and _why_ she had felt the need to trick him like this. The feeling of floating had left him, making the return of gravity very apparent as he felt a weight in his heart pull him back to earth. With that feeling returned, he marched into the bathroom, closing the door behind him and washing his hands and face to clean himself from the scent. As he brought the towel to his face, he remembered that nearly his whole body had been wrapped in Miia's over the course of the night, so he might as well be drenched in the aroma of her. Grabbing a larger towel of the rack behind him, he turned on the faucet to the large tub, waited for the first wisps of steam to roll onto the mirror before stepping in, taking extra care to wash away the scent and the memories that clung to him from last night.

Thoroughly convinced he was back to his normal smelling self, he paced back to his room to change into some appropriate clothing, for the moment still dressing in just the pants he had on last night and a towel covering his head and draping down his shoulders. Kimihito had reached the knob of the door and had begun to turn when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Jumping in his skin for a moment, he wheeled on his heels to see Cerea standing behind him.

"Master," she whispered, taking a step back from startling him, "I didn't mean to alarm you. I hath been waiting here for you to come out of the bath, I wanted to have a word with you." Kimihito felt a jolt of fear overcoming him, hoping that his shower was enough to mask the scent of Miia from Cerea's sharp senses.

"Oh, sorry to keep you waiting. You're fine, I just wasn't expecting you to be so silent. What time is it?"

"Tis a quarter to seven, Master. Tis usually when I begin my morning run but I…felt the need to speak with you first." She seemed to fidget a bit, her index fingers poking together as she spoke, a small tinge of pink in her cheeks. She turned her head to stare at the floor, her right front hoof tapping a little bit. "I was curious…I was hopeful that, perhaps if you were spared the time…perhaps you would like to go with me on a morning run?"

He internally breathed a sigh of relief at her request, comforted that it was such an easy thing to grant her. "Sure Cerea, I could use a run myself."

Her smile was radiant at his answer, her hands clasped in front of her before moving to his face, pulling him to her own as she claimed his lips with hers. Her kiss was gentle and sweet, surprising Kimihito a little as he wrapped his arms around her, finding the small of her back as she held onto him. Just as Kimihito was beginning to enjoy it, she pulled away, a dreamy smile on her face.

"Kimihito, I'll see you downstairs. In the meantime, you may want to sport something a little more modest before you step outside." With that she released him, turning and heading downstairs, gracefully despite the difficulty of navigating her horse half down the steep incline of the staircase. Kimihito was taken back by the brazenness of his centaur housemate, since she had been so forward with him was so unlike her normal chivalrous and chaste nature. He shook his head for a moment, reveling in the feel of Cerea while scolding himself of also remembering Miia, and Rachnee the night before as well. Three girls danced about in his mind, clouding his vision and focus.

"What have I gotten myself into?" He whispered to himself, opening the door to his room to change, allowing the silence of the hallway to answer his hopeless question.

 _Hey guys. I know a lot of you are mad about my absence from this story, and I wish I hadn't let things slip so much. I didn't mean to let it go so long without an update or saying anything about a new chapter. I promise to try keeping to a monthly schedule. I know this isn't the longest chapter but it helps get me past some writers block I've been dealing with, and I felt more inspiration coming once I sat down and committed to just finishing this chapter. I hope I haven't made you guys too upset about my lack of content._

 _Also sorry about my spelling errors, I promise once I get on a schedule I will get a beta reader to help me out. Merry Early Christmas!_

 _-Banis_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Secrets: Ch. 6**_

 _ **I do not own MonMusu, M.G.E, or anything monstergirl related.**_

It did not take long for Kimihito to throw on some old work out clothes and drag his running shoes out of the closet. It had been so long since he had gone for a run that didn't involve pursuing or being pursued by one of his houseguests. He had almost considered going back down to Cerea and encouraging her to go on ahead; his previous night with Miia had left him drained in more ways than one.

The faintest smile followed by immense guilt and confusion followed all the memories of the previous night rushing back to his brain. _When did all this start becoming so complicated? Did I start being more suggestive to the girls? Is the repeated neglect of their monstrous behavior catching up with them? Hell am I using a bad type of cologne?_

He had finished tying his shoes and sat on the edge of his bed a moment, staring at the floorboards.

Miia. What had really happened last night, Kimihito kept wondering. He could not discern where his judgment ended and her willpower began. The decisions he made last night had not entirely come to fruition in their consequences, but it was easy to see they would be horrific ramifications if the word got out. _Miia has the leverage now_ , thought Kimihito. _She has enough to prove to everyone else that she and I are a thing. It's not that I completely_ despise _the idea but I can't shake the feeling that I was set up…I know Miia would never hurt me intentionally. That's a fact._

Kimihito rose from the bed and made his way out the door and down the hall.

 _Miia never using stuff like incense or herbs to make it harder to judge a situation is an opinion. She's been known to do it before and like mother, like daughter to be honest._

Still aware of the early hours and his sleeping household, He touch the first steps leading down towards the foyer.

 _Miia had complete control of everything that occurred last night…that's where I lose the judgement part and Miia comes into play. She could have influenced me to do what she wanted, but that's heavily speculation._

He had reached the final step and was walking towards the front door.

 _Either way maybe this run will do me some good, and spending some time away from the house and with Cerea may just what I-_

All the thoughts and color from Kimihito's head immediately went south as he opened the door to the front sidewalk. Down the stairs of the front led to the street where Cerea stood…or at least part of her. She was shuffling on her front hooves a little, her hands folded in front of her as her head was bowed low. It looked almost as if she was muttering to herself. Kimihito couldn't shake the feeling that something was definitely off about her. The feeling only got worse as he walked down the steps cautiously, enough to draw her attention but not enough to spook her.

She saw him coming down and her face went from beat red to nearly purple in an instant. This as well did nothing to aid Kimihito's nerves. He got to the second to last step before he would be on the street, keeping higher up on the stair so he would be eye level with her.

"Cerea?", he said hesitantly.

""Y-Y-YES M-MASTER?" She was fidgeting with her hair awfully hard, where one would wonder if she was attempting to rip it out of her head.

"You doing alright there?"

"O-OH YES. N-NOTHING THE M-MATTER."

"Ah. Right. Okay then."

The lack of belief Kimihito had for the well being of his Centaur housemate was putting him at great unease, but he nevertheless trudged down the stairs and entered the street. When he got a full look at Cerea from head to horse tail he saw _exactly_ why Cerea looked like she was about to fall over.

"Cerea…what?"

"P-PARDON MASTER?"

"Cerea…what…what are you wearing?"

In hindsight it was perhaps rude of Kimihito to pose the question in such a way, but it had to be asked given the odd events that had prefaced his entering the street. It made sense why she had not been in full view of the stairs and hidden behind the streets retaining wall. She had on a rather modest running suit, as far as they go for horses, since he had only gained a mild appreciation of the fashion efforts of Centaurs. But this…

On the small of her back was a _saddle._ The very sight of it made Kimihito's heart read _Catcher and the Rye_ and then attempt to assassinate his brain. It was a very comfortable looking one, like it had never been used. It was a light brown color with the seat back in a crisscross leather pattern, some odd English lettering on the left side. There was nothing Kimihito could think to say that wouldn't come out of his mouth as a small squeak.

"W-Won't you join me?" asked Cerea, her voice a mere whisper as she hands writhed together.

"I thought this was supposed to be a run, Cerea."

Cerea could not keep her hooves still for a moment, and her left hoof was counting out to an unknown number. "Well yes it's a run and I wanted to bring you but I thought how foolish it would be to invite you to a run and then not have you able to keep up so I thought it would be better than to embarrass you Master, _soIthoughtmaybeitwouldbebetterifyourodealongandmymotherhadgivenmethissaddlefor_ -"

She had gone into an odd muttering and her head was bowed slowly lower the more she spoke. It had been one of the things about Cerea that Kimihito loved; she was incapable of taking herself at anything but the utmost seriousness. He walked up as she stood mumbling to herself, as she was oblivious to anything except her babbling. He reached up his forefinger and tapped her lightly on the temple. This immediately snapped her out of her rambling to look down at him, the red returning to her cheeks.

"Cerea...breathe." Kimihito smiled up at her, the blush coming on even harder while time seemed to stand still. His hand moved from her forehead to the side of her face in some attempt to calm her down. It worked somewhat, as Kimihito observed that her breathing had slowed, she was taking deeper breaths and had stopped muttering to herself.

"Okay.", Cerea breathily whispered. A small smile graced her face as Kimihito removed his hand from the warmth of her face, slowly walking around her front to her side to take a look at the saddle. A part of him could not help but acknowledge the bizarreness of this moment. Cerea has allowed him to ride her before, that was not the issue. The fact that she had been keeping this saddle available for his use (apparently) was just slightly off-putting.

"Cerea...would it sound weird if I have never used a saddle before?"

"OH! Master, um...of course it is not! It is perfectly reasonable, given the history of your nation that horses would be limited here, additionally the need for a steed in such a modern time is not entirely realistic." Cerea's official and stern demeanor had return to his relief. He had some struggle getting his foot high enough into the stirrup but got it there nevertheless. Cerea shuffled for a moment adjusting to his weight as he pulled himself up and over the saddle and got his other leg over enough to slide into the matching stirrup.

"It's funny, you know, I've never imagined riding in a saddle before..." He was taking a risk in sending Cerea to the upper echelons of embarrassment, but it was worth the joke. He leaned in towards Cerea upper back, craning his head to reach on of her long ears and whispered, "... _you and I normally do it bareback anyway_ …."

The very instant he spoke he had learned to regret it. The very moment after he whispered his dirty tease to Cerea she had taken off in a mad dash down the street with Kimihito hanging on for dear life, laughing all the way down the street.

 _ **\- A Few Miles Later -**_

Cerea had taken some time to cool down after Kimihito had whispered his bad come-on in her ear, and by the time she had finally slowed to a trout and slow walk they had easily gone 5 miles in a few moments and were now in the woods of the local park. It had been some time since they had come here, the last being when Miia and Papi rescued the girl from the tree. A police officer on a bike had seen them rushing by and was so taken aback by the scene that he didn't know whether to pursue them for speeding in a walking zone or call Ripley's Believe It Or Not for Fastest Woman in the World.

Either way Kimihito had barely clung to Cerea long enough for her to slow down to her now calmer pace. His laughter had died long ago and was focused on catching his breath after the first few leaps over cars. They were now walking on gravel paths through a wooded area, the crunch of rocks beneath them being the only sounds they made. It was Kimihito's fault for teasing Cerea, he knew that, and made the first move of amends.

"Cerea...I didn't mean to rile you up like that…", he spoke meekly. Cerea did not turn around or acknowledge him in any way. He stayed silent for a few moments, waiting for any kind of response. Cerea turned her head to the side, looking along the treeline for something. Kimihito spotted a break in the trees, and what looked like an plain dirt path through the woods away from the gravel path. Cerea began to turn towards it, taking them both down a shaded and cool path through the trees.

She had not spoken yet so Kimihito decided to test his luck once again. "Cerea...I-"

"Master... _Kimihito_...do not worry yourself." Kimihito stayed silent, waiting for Cerea to continue.

"I have learned that...these things are unavoidable. It is difficult for me to adjust to this kind of life."

Kimihito blinked a few times, a mild pang of worry settled into his heart, and his mouth moved faster than his brain could.

"Cerea what do you mean? Is there something wrong with the house? With the city? What can I do-"

She silenced him by reaching around with her left hand to grasp his. It was a quick move and she gave him a gentle squeeze to silence and calm him, while turning her head towards him with a gentle smile.

"No need to fret, Kimihito; I adore your country, your city and your home. Fear not." She turned around to walk forward, not letting go of his hand but sinking her fingers into his to better grasp his hand.

"It's the idea of closeness...with you. I have not quite adjusted to it, it is not normal for such levels of intimacy between centaur partners. You may know of how we are a warrior race, and from the tales from my mother you know...it is difficult to have intimacy with our male counterparts…"

Kimihito scooted forward on his saddle towards Cerea, returning the grip of Cerea's hand as a warm smile touched his lips.

"Coming here, being with you is...a change. A pleasant one. The idea of such emotions is something I only wondered at since I was a little girl.

It shouldn't be so hard, should it?", she continued after a pause, "I mean I am half human. I couldn't believe it when my mother told us all...I had grown to believe my father was a stalwart warrior, unbreakable. But to know…"

She pulled his hand around her, bringing it to rest on her taut stomach, the other hand joining in and holding him close to her.

"It made me so happy to find another connection with you...even with me...being me...I had this piece of me that was part of your kind."

Kimihito would be lying if he said his emotions hadn't taken him for a ride all over town as Cerea opened her heart to him. He did all he could to hold back a sniffle or two that threatened to interrupt Cerea's confession.

"After my mother told me about my heritage and we had out duel with her, she sent me the saddle." She looked back at him, not even flinching at how much closer he was since he scooted up in the saddle and then been pulled forward when she took his hand. His other took the advantage and wrapped around from the other side to join his other hand, being brought into the fold of Cerea's in a interlocked bundle of their hands intertwined with each other. She smiled back at him, before turning back to the path. They were coming up on a clearing ahead.

"She wanted me to have it when I thought the time was right. It was made for me by my mother and father…" She turned back to him again. "...my _real_ father...for when I found a man I could call my Lord and Master."

The trees gave way to a large clearing. White flowers dotted the entire grassy field and in the center was a large bench made from a massive tree trunk. IT looked like it could easily sit three people on the main seat, with the backrest blending back into the rest of the tree trunk forming a second row of seating. Cerea approached the tree bench, walking slowly around it.

"Kimihito...This is a lot for anyone, I understand. Centaurs...carry many traditions...many rites. You've already passed the most difficult, in that we are compatible in combat. It is the hardest challenge a pair can endure to prove the worthiness of the warrior to their Lord. It means I am trusted to protect you against all possible threats."

She stopped just in front of the seat of the tree bench. Cerea shuffled nervously and released her hands from Kimihito's. His heart had been pumping a million miles a minute as Cerea spoke; his feelings were threatening to run rampant and he lose control of himself. The closeness of Cerea was as gentle as the breeze that rolled over the flowers and grass in the meadow they stood in, filling him with a peace he had scarcely felt since the girls had come to live with him.

"Kimihito, please, step there for me?" She motioned to the bench seat of the tree stump. He looked between the bench seat and Cerea, and after a moment of hesitation unsaddled one foot and swung it over to the bench, letting his other foot out of the stirrup once he got his proper footing. He stood there as Cerea turned around, letting her tail swish gently against him and turning to face him. She trotted slowly, her blush had returned but she remained committed to looking him in the eye, approaching him and extending her arms out to wrap around his neck. He in turn moved his hands around the small of her back. Gently moving one hand in a slow circle, applying just enough pressure to bring her closer and rub the spot where horse met human. She hummed happily, pulling him closer to her, the feel of her breasts on his chest sending an incredible warmth spreading through him.

"I do like the idea of this little rite though." She said as she cocked her head to the side and stared into his eyes. Kimihito was beginning to lose himself under the gaze of his centaur houseguest as she leaned in and nuzzled her nose to his, prompting a small giggle from the both of them as the sun shone brightly above them. "Kimihito?" asked Cerea, her eyes fluttering and heart beating slight and fast.

"Yes, Cerea?", replied Kimihito, the last vestige of willpower slowly leaving him in the warmth of their embrace.

She smiled at him, the warmth of his breath upon her bosom making her heart sing at their closeness.

"I want to tell you my confession of love." Kimihito felt his heart gripped by ice one minute, then as if someone had poured liquid magma into his chest. _I figured this could happen, gods know I should have seen it coming. But two of them, on the same day? I'm going to die before I see thirty I swear._

"Kimihito...there is no other man I have ever met in my life that is more worthy of the position of my Master. You are now and will always be the reason I raise my blade and brandish my shield. You are the sky to my Earth, the stars in my Heaven. My bones shall bear your burden, hands protect your heart." She reached down to one of the hands on her lower back and brought hers and Kimihito's in rest in between the two of them, nestled in the bounty of her chest.

"I will live my days in your service, in your protection, in your stewardship. Your house will be plentiful with my toils, your hearth shall be ablaze with the fire of my passion."

She leaned in to hear ear and gave him a light kiss on the earlobe, sending shivers down his spine.

"This is the part that's meant only for you…~" she whispered into his ear. Now it was his turn to blush. Where had this strong Centaur come from and made away with the emotionally timid Cerea that had been living in his home?

"My body shall bear you fruit, the seat of your lap shall be filled with strong daughters. MY womb shall ache for your warmth, my bosom full with and bountiful for our young. I shall never reject you, I shall welcome you in my embrace whenever you call. I shall be your maiden, and your touch my greatest treasure." She shook for a moment, misty tears forming in her eyes.

"I shall make you covet my form above all others. You shall desire no other but me, such is my oath." She sniffled a bit, her ears twitching as she closed the gap and captured him in a full blown kiss. Kimihito could not shake the incredible warmth that now swelled inside of him, coupled with the shock of her confession. _Did she just..SHE WANTS TO HAVE KIDS? Ohmygodohmygodohmygod…._

He was in a full-blown mental panic one minute, then back to focusing on Cerea as he felt her tongue trace the outline of his lips. Dumbfounded, he cracked his mouth just enough for her tongue to slip inside. She tasted fresh, minty with a burst of flowers. She was like spring, the blossoming of life and the promise of a new world was within her. He could only stand there, his knees felt like they were in knots and his hands unconsciously found their way to her face, cupping either side and drawing her into him. Their tongues danced around each other, enjoying the closeness and wetness of their kiss.

It had felt like a few minutes of that timeless bliss until Cerea herself broke it off, pulling back with a slight moan and drawing her tongue back into her mouth. She had that same radiant smile on her face, now coupled with a small giggle at his likely goofy facial expression at the bliss of their kiss.

"Kimihito...I know the others are all competing for your affection, and that soon a decision will need to be made. I just wanted to shed myself of any doubt of my feelings, and present my heart to you as my ancestors have done with their beloved chosen champions." She nuzzled into his palms more, the first tear trailing down her face and being caught by his roaming thumb.

"It has been our heritage to proclaim our hearts and bodies for our masters since the first Centaur Gwen promised herself to the mythical King Arthur. Such has it been through the centuries, as it is now, as is with you.

"I do not expect this choice to be easy; no hero can make the easy choice. People may be harmed in the wake of your hearts' desire. I can only promise, though it may break mine, I will honor the choice of your heart, and remain your knight. Always."

"Cerea I-" He had wanted to speak, to tell her that she was mistaken, and that he could make that choice now, here is she wanted. But she had placed a gentle finger upon his lips, silencing him again. When he was still, she moved her hand to his cheek, gently caressing him in a loving touch.

"Kimihito... _beloved_...you are not prepared. I can see the turmoil in you, and these feelings you are feeling now are simply being influenced by my own. I understand this, it is difficult to separate the fact from fantasy, but I know that if you confessed to me now, in your own fashion, that it will be the most joyous moment of my life. Yet, my confession took time, it was through much discipline and self reflection that I came read to bear myself before you."

She began to back away, slowly, hesitantly, and keeping his eyes locked on hers.

"If you truly feel this way, and your heart burns for me as mine does for you, then come to me later, after you have had time to cool your scorched thoughts with the discipline that I know you are more than capable of. Until then, when you have prepared yourself...I am content to wait, knowing that you hold the truth of my soul in your hands."

Kimihito stood dumbfounded at this, the passion and control she had shown was completely opposite of everything she had come to be know by while living with him. It was all he could do but run to her and embrace her on now, giving in to his desire and rutting like beasts. Yet he too held back, the look of pleading in her eyes spoke volumes at how much it meant that he be true to his feelings like she was to hers. After a few moments of hesitation, and reigning in the beast of passion that nearly took him over, he relented, taking in a deep breath to calm himself.

"Okay...okay Cerea...I get it."

He hopped down off the stump walking over to her. She hesitated for only a moment, perhaps afraid he would betray himself and give into his primal urges, but he instead walked to her side, mounted back up and onto the saddle. He would not hurt her in that way, he would not simply take what he wanted without that same show of trust. She looked back at him over he shoulder, smiling once again and uttering a gentle "Thank you.", before turning and beginning to walk back toward the break in the woods toward the gravel path. She had just reached the edge of the clearing when she looked back towards the tree bench, then over to Kimihito.

"No matter what happens, know I will always treasure this moment, and what we have shared. Thank you, Kimihito."

She turned back towards the dirt path, silent and never looking back. Kimihito, taking a little initiative, scooted forward once again to be a little closer to her on the saddle, wrapping his arms around her and closing her in a warm hug as they trotted through the trees.

"Thank you, Cerea...I promise, your words reached me…"

She simply smiled, more misty tears forming in her eyes as she walked them back onto the gravel path, towards home.

 _ **Later -**_

The journey back had taken a little longer than the first time, partly because Cerea decided to obey modern civilian crosswalk laws. Even so, they relished in the company they shared with each other. They drew a few curious looks, as one would imagine when one sees a Centaur with a fully grown man riding behind and hugging the Centaur at the same time. Neither cared; their world was peaceful and perfect with just the two of them. The continued until at least, to each of their disappointment, they reached the same street with the stone stairs leading up to his house. He gave a final squeeze and dismounted, eliciting a sigh from Cerea as she walked around to her front. She leaned down and cupped his head in her hands, his own hands locking over hers and holding her there.

"Just one request, Kimihito...don't make this wait too long for me, whatever your decision may be."

He smiled back at her, kissing her thumb as ir rolled in gentle circles on his cheek. "Of course Cerea, you have my word."

She smiled back at him, then releasing his hands and face, began the walk up the stairs to the house. He smiled, looking back at the empty street and feeling the need to burn off some of his pent up energy.

"Cerea! I'm actually going to go on that run now...Let everyone know for me?"

She turned back, smiling at him and giggling at their "run" together.

"Of course! HAve a enjoyable and safe run, Master!" She winked at him, then turning to open the door and step inside the house.

"Oh man…", Kimihito said to himself. He leaned down to check his shoes, noticing one of them was untied, "These women are going to tear my heart out I swear." Satisfied that his show was securely tight, he stood back up.

In his face was the red, upside down face of Rachnee. She nearly made him scream out in fright, but not before a spot of webbing covered his mouth.

"Morn'n huneee~!" she called to him. Her hands groped sloppily at his face, planting a wet kiss on his forehead. _OH GOD WHAT'S HAPPENED?! DID SHE SEE? DID SHE GET INTO ANY…_

It was at that moment Kimihito smelled the faint freshness and fragrance of essential ground Colombian beans in a rich and craftful blend that could only come from one source…

 _FOLGERS!_ His mind screamed in despair and horror at the realization that Rachnee was drunk at eight in the morning. He tried to wiggle out of her grasp as she held a coffee cup in one hand (somehow she held it right side up) and a thread of he webbing in another. She pulled, and suddenly many previously invisible threads closed around him. In a flash, he was bound and gagged in a ball of soft, silky webbing that constricted but didn't bind too tightly.

"Sorrie _Hunnniee_ ," she slurred, the red of her face glowing brightly, "...bu' we need to taaaalk. Hold shtill now…" With that, a shot of webbing covered his eyes, and he saw no more.

 _ **To Be Continued -**_

 _ **I hope you kids are happy...dammit you're bleeding me dry here but fine. A continuation of my most popular series. Maybe be a gem and check out some of my other works. Maybe I'll actually update more often.**_

 _ **In all seriousness the reason this chapter came out soo late is because it took me a while to figure out the interaction with Cerea. I came to the decision to just roll with whatever I came up with instead of having a plan and it worked! Best laid plans and all…**_

 _ **Thank you to the 100+ people that still follow this story, and I feel like I know where I want this story to conclude now.**_

 _ **I will only say this...the end is not far off.**_

 _ **Let me know what you think, reviews are the best way to get me off my ass and write!**_

 _ **All my respect,**_

 _ **-Banis**_


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